Biking the Rails to Armstrong
To kick off Black History Month, we wanted to highlight a lesser known historic African American community. I recently "discovered" the Palatka to St. Augustine State Trail and along with it the community of Armstrong.
Armstrong is one of St. John's County's oldest African-American
settlements. According
to their historical marker, Armstrong was built around a sawmill and established in 1886, It was an agricultural town that prospered
through the production of potatoes (being a part of the "potato belt" of
Florida that also includes Hastings, Elkton, and Spuds) as well as the export
of timber and turpentine.
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| Hastings Potato Growers Ass'n just down the trail from Armstrong in Hastings, FL |
The Palatka to St.Augustine Trail is a part of the larger St. Johns River to Sea Loop (a 260-mile mulituse trail) and is also a part of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
(To learn more about the Gullah Geechee people click here).
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| Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (image from NPS) |
As a part of the effort by The Rails to Trails Conservancy, the bike trail was constructed along an abandoned railroad right-of-way which allows for back yard views of conservation areas and rural communities. You can hop on the trail from Armstrong Park or you can enter the the community like the trains did by riding in.
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| View of an Armstrong farm from the Palatka to St. Augustine bike trail |
The East Coast Railway was created by Henry Flagler to support his St. Augustine hotels. Armstrong and
the other outlaying farm communities were a local source of produce. The railway provided the mode of transportation to put it onto the plates
of Flagler's hotel guests, as well as exporting timber and turpentine.
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| Loading locally grown potatoes on trains in Hastings, FL |
In Armstrong, just off the bike trail, are four marked historical sights:
1) The Armstrong Train Depot transferred "people, goods, and mail but also for the export of turpentine, crops, and timber that were staples of economic activity in the region."
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| Stop One on the Armstrong Trail |
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| Stop 2 on the Armstrong Trail |
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| The remains of the St. Mary's African Methodist Episcopal Church |
4. Sand Cut Railroad Camp "was the name of the railroad camp, or village that existed next to Armstrong."
Taking a bike ride on the St. Augustine to Palatka Trail is also a great Covid-19 activity! It's outside with lots of room for social distancing.
Text and Images (except where noted) by FPAN Staff: Robbie Boggs