In the 1880s some of the first rail lines were integrated along the Saint Johns River which eliminated the need for steam boats and even horses eventually. Perhaps this is what led to the downfall of many of the ghost towns that once thrived in the area. In the 1880s a old wooden train station was built here in Deland. That station and its rail line were used for mail, cattle and even freight.

Eventually the wood train station was replaced with a brick one which was very small and even today you can see the bricks which line the rails in the boarding area. That brick building eventually once again was replaces in the 1960s with a more elaborate station. In the 1960s was a rough time for the train industry so when passenger service was halted on the east coast the DeLand Train Station and one other were the only places people could embark or arrive at by train. 

Then in 1981 a fire occurred and burnt most of the terminal. The waiting room today shows signs it was burnt and their are rotted planks up in the canopy area. Each year 20,000 to 40,000 people use this station which is quite alot considering the size of DeLand and where the station is located. Most stations in Florida are now closed or turned into train museums however the DeLand one still remains in use and the original site.

The train station is made today of brick frames on the exterior and shell-dash stucco walls. Another name for it would be coquina which is a material formed with thousands of small shells. Many of the shells out the outside of the building are worn or broke. Some of the shells have names inside them with different dates one of them reads from 1921. Perhaps these are people who once embarked on journeys to and from Deland. Some call this place a train station shrine since personal travelers left messages within its walls. 

Today Amtrak uses this station although these tracks are very busy for freight trains that fly through here. Their is some old wood benches that line the tracks along a walkway and even a gazebo where one could sit and reflect upon.  The train station sits on the edge of Hontoon Island so its quite a secluded area lots of woods, country roads, hills, swamps etc kind of an eerie area to be late at night.

As far as deaths I will be honest with you that alot of the deaths that occur on train tracks are kept on a very low down. From what I know is nearby a couple of suicides have taken place. Then a pal of mine across the street told me near the station how he once witnessed lightening striking a man that man was turned into a pile of ash which is a very rare phenomena. So yes there have been deaths on the tracks and nearby. But nobody knows perhaps much about the deaths that occurred a century ago when people use to hitch rides on these trains.

Imagine over one hundred years how this train station has witnessed horse carriages, bicycles, steam cars, and automobiles as time passed by dropping off its passengers. This is a place of history but of imagination. There is one area near the station or section of the tracks that appears to be extremely active with supernatural activity then another part of the tracks that is not active but feels very unsettling. There is one area where I found a flare on the tracks signs that someone perhaps died in that area and they used the flares to brighten up the tracks at night to recover the body. The Deland train station is a place of journeys some of the living and some of the dead.

© By

Rick-AngelOfThyNight

 

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