Learn the fascinating story of the golden age of North Florida’s railroad industry and railroad towns.
Archer was an important railroad town from the end of the Civil War through the 1930’s. Early rail lines opened Archer and much of North Florida to development.
Trains provided transportation into and out of the rapidly growing towns located where the trains stopped, creating markets for inbound goods and providing outlets for local industry, agriculture, and timber operations. Archer was one of these towns. When the railroad arrived in the 1860’s, Archer area farmers expanded their acreage and grew prosperous moving loads of sugar cane, cotton, sweet potatoes, produce, and oranges into Archer. Archer grew into a bustling center of commerce and industry, selling goods and services to farmers, the railroad, and railroad passengers and workers. The history and artifacts of Archer’s railroad glory days are preserved at the Archer Railroad Museum.
