Thursday, October 2, 2014

EDWARD T. STOTESBURY

EDWARD T. STOTESBURY of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, left behind a remarkable legacy. He was one of America's premier infrastructure builders, a banker who helped fund railroads all across Pennsylvania. At one point, Reading Railroad even built a private parlor car exclusively for his use.

Oddly, of all the many credits assigned to Edward T. Stotesbury, one has long been neglected. In the many bios you will find on the man, none will tell you that he served as President of a small railroad in Orange County, Florida. In fact, he filled the position of President twice!

Between 1892 and 1902, the Lost Decade of the Orange Belt Railway, Edward T. Stotesbury, and fellow Pennsylvania railroader, John Parker Ilsley, worked together to rescue a dying railroad.



CitrusLAND: Ghost Towns & Phantom Trains is the true story of a devastating freeze and the plight of new towns that had developed along the route of Orange Belt Railway. Departing out of the Lake Monroe port town of Sanford, Florida, journey with Stotesbury and Ilsley as they travel to the railroad's corporate office at Oakland, Florida. Along their route you will meet town founders and the cities whose hopes and dreams rested on the shoulders of a financially troubled railroad.

Station stops include SANFORD, MONROE, SYLVAN LAKE, ISLAND LAKE, GLEN ETHEL, PALM SPRINGS, FOREST CITY, LAKEVILLE, CLARCONA, CROWN POINT, WINTER GARDEN and OAKLAND.

You can purchase CitrusLAND: Ghost Towns & Phantom Trains at Central Florida Railroad Museum in Winter Garden; the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Gift shops, and at Amazon.com,

Includes 46 helpful Exhibits and more than 200 references.

Richard Cronin's Author Page - Amazon

A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR HISTORY AND RAILROAD FANS!