The 1885 Depot on Russell Street in Brooksville was bustling with activities on most days during the early 1900s. A new service may have made the place jump, even more, when the Railway Express Agency (REA) was started in 1918. Also known as the American Railway Express Agency and the American Railway Express Inc., it was a parcel delivery system…think UPS or FedEx…that used the rail system across the country. Of course, it wasn’t door-to-door service. Sending or receiving a package meant a trip to the depot. Passenger service ended for the Brooksville depot in the 1930s, but freight service continued until 1971. The Russell Street depot or the Seaboard Line depot off Jefferson Street may actually have been REA locations.
The Museums are open! Noon – 3pm
The May-Stringer: Tours Thursday, Friday & Saturday – 352-799-0129
The 1885 Depot: Tours Wednesday, Friday & Saturday – 352-799-4766
The Countryman One Room Schoolhouse: Tours Saturday – 352-515-3054 or 630-464-2313
