Henry Flagler's Over-Sea Railroad

One of my great pleasures in life is creating historical documentaries for The Education Network of the Palm Beach County School District.  Last year, I was asked by the Flagler Museum on Palm Beach to create a documentary to commemorate the Centennial of Henry Flagler's railroad that connected Miami to Key West.

Anyone who has driven down US One to Key West has, no doubt, seen the remnants of the railroad bridges that were built between the years 1905 and 1912.  During those seven years, the Keys were hit by three hurricanes, which made the monumental task of completing the railroad so much more difficult for the 4,000 workers.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the project centered around Mr. Flagler himself.  I learned that he was not the uncaring "stuffed shirt" that I had been taught he was.  Certainly, he was no saint.  But he cared passionately about the State of Florida and about the workers who made his dreams come true.

It is also interesting to note that skeptics of Mr. Flagler's ambitious plan to connect Miami and Key West initially called it "Flagler's Folly."  But after Mr. Flagler succeeded, the project was then dubbed "The Eighth Wonder of the World."

You can watch the documentary by clicking below.