Homestead exists because of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway. The railroad agreed in 1898 to place a station about 30 miles south of Miami, opened it in July 1904, and laid out a town around it. From there the line was pushed across the Florida Keys to Key West between 1905 and 1912, a project guided for its last years by chief engineer William J. Krome. Krome bought land in Homestead, became one of its leading growers after retiring from the railroad, and gave his name to Krome Avenue, the city's main street. This page traces that story and points to the places where you can still see it.
The railroad reaches Homestead
By the late 1890s, Flagler's railroad had reached Miami and was looking farther south. A station roughly 30 miles below Miami was planned in 1898, and railroad surveyor John S. Fredricks laid out a town site on railroad land around it. The station opened in July 1904. That October, William D. Horne bought the first lot in the new town and put up its first privately owned building, which still stands downtown.
The railroad gave settlers in the pinelands and the Redland a way to ship winter vegetables and fruit to northern markets. Stores, a bank and houses followed, and the town was incorporated in 1913. The story of the farms is told in the Redland's farming history.
Building the Overseas Railroad
Flagler's ambition was Key West, a deep-water port close to Cuba and to shipping routes toward the planned Panama Canal. Early on, engineers favored a route southwest from Homestead across the mainland, but they settled on a line to Key Largo and then down the island chain. Work started in 1905. The project required long bridges and viaducts over open water, construction camps on remote islands and repeated rebuilding after hurricanes.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1898 | Station planned about 30 miles south of Miami |
| 1902 | William J. Krome joins the railroad as a surveyor |
| 1904 | The railroad reaches Homestead; the station opens in July |
| 1905 | Construction of the extension to Key West begins |
| 1909 | Krome becomes chief construction engineer after the death of his predecessor |
| January 22, 1912 | The first train reaches Key West, with Flagler aboard his private car |
| 1919 | Krome retires from the railroad to focus on farming |
| 1935 | The Labor Day hurricane destroys much of the line in the Middle Keys |
| After 1935 | The roadbed and surviving bridges are sold to the state and reused for the Overseas Highway |
Who was William J. Krome?
William J. Krome was born in 1876 in Edwardsville, Illinois. He studied at several universities, including Cornell, without finishing a degree, and joined the Florida East Coast Railway as a surveyor in 1902. He led an early survey expedition along Cape Sable, one of the possible mainland routes toward Key West, before the company chose a line down the Keys. After the chief engineer died in 1909, Krome took charge of construction. At the peak of the work he oversaw nearly 4,000 workers, and the line reached Key West in 1912.
Krome acquired property in Homestead around 1904 and is regarded as one of the town's early residents. After he left the railroad in 1919, he turned to citrus, avocados and mangoes and became an important figure in South Dade agriculture. He served as vice president of the Florida State Horticultural Society and is credited with leading efforts to fight citrus canker in 1914 with controlled burning. He is also credited with naming Islamorada in the Keys. He died in 1929 at the age of 53.
Krome Avenue
Krome Avenue is named for William Krome. From Campbell Drive in Homestead it runs north for about 37 miles as State Road 997 along the western edge of Miami-Dade's suburbs, and south of Campbell Drive it serves as the main street of historic downtown Homestead. The 1917 town hall, the Seminole Theatre and the early commercial buildings of the downtown district all face it. To see them, follow the self-guided walk through historic downtown.
Railroad history you can still see
- Downtown Homestead. The street grid and the commercial core still follow the line of the railroad.
- Florida Pioneer Museum, Florida City. The museum building is a 1904 bungalow built by the Florida East Coast Railway as a home for its station agent, moved to Florida City in the 1960s and listed on the National Register in 1973. The depot behind it is a replica built after the original was flattened by Hurricane Andrew; the city of Florida City owns both.
- The experiment station. Land donated in part by the Krome family helped found the state's subtropical experiment station in 1929, today the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center.
- The Overseas Highway. Driving to Key West means following much of the old rail route. Old railroad bridges can still be seen beside the highway in many places.
Why the railroad still matters
The railroad set Homestead's location, its street plan and its early economy. It linked farmers to markets, brought settlers and made the town the jumping-off point for the Keys project. When the 1935 hurricane ended rail service to Key West, the line's legacy shifted to the highway. For the full chronology, see the Homestead history timeline, and for older records about railroad-era families and buildings, see the guide to researching house and family history.
Comparing the two eras
| Railroad era (1904–1935) | Highway era (after 1935) | |
|---|---|---|
| Main link to Miami | Florida East Coast Railway | U.S. 1, later the Florida Turnpike |
| Route to Key West | Overseas Railroad | Overseas Highway on the old rail route |
| Downtown focus | The station and Krome Avenue | Krome Avenue and U.S. 1 corridors |
| How produce moved | By rail from the station | Increasingly by truck |
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the railroad reach Homestead?
The Florida East Coast Railway opened its first station in what became Homestead in July 1904. The town was laid out around the station and incorporated in 1913.
Who is Krome Avenue named after?
Krome Avenue is named for William J. Krome, the Florida East Coast Railway engineer who led construction of the Overseas Railroad to Key West and later became a prominent grower in Homestead.
When was the Overseas Railroad completed?
Construction began in 1905, and the first train reached Key West on January 22, 1912, with Henry Flagler aboard his private railcar.
What happened to the railroad to Key West?
The 1935 Labor Day hurricane destroyed much of the line in the Middle Keys. The roadbed and surviving bridges were sold to the state and reused to build the Overseas Highway.
Where can I see railroad history near Homestead?
The Florida Pioneer Museum in Florida City occupies a 1904 railroad agent's house with a replica depot behind it, and downtown Homestead still follows its original railroad-town layout.