The Florida Railroad was constructed from Fernandina through this area in 1856, bringing the birth of Callahan and the first depot. When the Savannah, Florida, & Western Railroad was constructed in 1881 from Waycross, through Callahan, to Jacksonville, a freight depot was built on the other side of the tracks from the original depot and there the two lines served passengers out of the old and freight in the new. Some time after 1911, the old original depot was destroyed by fire. The two existing lines consolidated their local facilities by adding a ground level passenger and clerk’s office to the 1880’s structure which gives us the depot we have today known as The Callahan Depot. Though today’s depot sits atop of the old Florida Railroad roadbed, the original location of both of the
depots was 100 yards to the southwest.
