Rise and Fall of Flagler’s Railroad is Topic of Presentation at Keys History & Discovery Center

Islamorada – Last Train to Paradise: Here Two Decades, Gone in One Night is title of the monthly lecture at the Keys History & Discovery Center on Wednesday, May 25. The Center, located in Islamorada, opens at 5 p.m. and the presentation begins at 6 p.m. The presentation is part of the Keys History & Discovery Center Presents… lecture series.

Join author and FIU professor Les Standiford to learn about his research for and writing of Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean, which chronicles the completion of the greatest civil engineering project in Florida history, the building of the Oversea Railway. Standiford credits Flagler as “the inventor of Florida as we know it,” based on the railway and the population explosion Florida experienced through new residents and visitors alike.

Historic photos to be shared are associated with that undertaking as well as its undoing by the strongest storm ever to strike U.S. shores, the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. He also discusses the nature of historical writing and the connections between Flagler’s grand design and those of other titans from the nation’s past.

Cost for non-Discovery Center members is $25 and includes admission to the movie and museum as well as light appetizers. A cash bar will be available. Reservations are recommended and can be made at 305-922-2237 or info@keysdiscovery.com.

The Discovery Center is in Islamorada, MM 82, located at the Islander Resort. The Center is open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $12. Admission for seniors is $10 and children 13-under are free. Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization operating the Keys History & Discovery Center.

For more information, call 305-922-2237 or go to www.keysdiscovery.com.