Micheal Wigh of Brandon has been interested in history since he was a young boy.
“My interest in history goes back to my youth when my grandmother encouraged me to read by buying me books or taking me to the library,” Wigh said. “I’m mostly interested in biographies or books of historical events. I also served on my high school yearbook staff chronicling daily academic life. I was involved in compiling Brandon High School’s 100-year anniversary retrospective pamphlet in 2014 to commemorate the event, which led me to self-publish a photo history book of my hometown, Brandon, covering the period of 1857 to the 1980s.”
Wigh is a founding member of the new Brandon Historical and Preservation Society, which strives to bring local residents together to work on preserving local history and landmarks. Wigh had the opportunity to speak at the recent History Talks program hosted by The Plant City History & Photo Archives, The Tampa Bay History Center and the Brandon Historical and Preservation Society, which was held this past November.
Wigh’s topic of discussion at the History Talk was Brandon’s former Limona Train Depot.
“We have very little history on the community train depots of Limona, Brandon and Valrico,” Wigh said. “The small rural communities never incorporated, so we’ve never had the in fracture to preserve or record the history of the area.”
Limona was first established around 1876, as an employee retreat and retirement community for the Illinois-based Elgin Watch Company, which back then was the world’s largest watchmaking company. These early pioneers enjoyed the extended warmer weather and opportunity of growing citrus and other produce. The Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad laid tracks through the Limona area in 1890. The Limona Train Depot was built around 1893, but this wasn’t the first rail line. Henry Plant’s South Florida Railroad first entered the area 3 miles north of Limona in 1883, connecting Sanford, Plant City and Tampa.
“The Limona train depot served as an express stop and could carry mail, passengers and freight to Tampa and beyond,” Wigh said. “A large produce packing plant was built nearby, as well as a general store.”
The depot was a large frame structure, but it didn’t last beyond the 1940s, when the rail company closed the depot and demolished it. Automobiles, trucks and air transport replaced many of the former uses of the train.
“It’s funny how time changes perspectives,” Wigh said. “One hundred years ago, it was desirable to be near a railroad, but today it is avoided because of the noise. It’s interesting to note that Limona’s next-door neighbor, Brandon, established in 1890, requested their own train depot. The railroad company declined and proposed an open outdoor platform, as the Limona station was less than a mile away. Town founder Victoria Brandon rallied townspeople and raised funds to help construct Brandon’s own frame depot. Sadly, it too didn’t last beyond the 1940s.”
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