Historic scenes of the Rail Yard District in color

It's a location where the majority of rail traffic moves through the state of Florida. During the early 20th century this area west of Downtown Jacksonville developed as a logistics, industrial and wholesale district for the city and the state of Florida. Here is a look at various scenes in the Rail Yard District prior to 1960.

An aerial overlooking the Jacksonville Farmers Market, Robinson’s Addition neighborhood and Honeymoon Yard. (Beaver Street Fisheries)

The Jacksonville Farmers Market in 1938. (Beaver Street Fisheries)

An aerial over the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s maintenance and operations center. The Florida Machine & Foundry industrial complex dominates the scene with the New Town neighborhood in the background. (City of Jacksonville)

Foundry workers at Florida Machine & Foundry. Dating back to 1899, the foundry was one of the Rail Yard District’s largest employers before ceasing operations in the early 1990s. Today, the former foundry site is occupied by Main Metal Recycling. (State Archives of Florida)

An exterior view of the Fram Florida, Inc. plant on Stockton Street in 1948. (State Archives of Florida)

The Fram Florida, Inc. management team in 1948. (State Archives of Florida)

An inside look at a can storage warehouse at Stockton Street’s Fram Florida, Inc. (State Archives of Florida)

Lovett’s Food Store’s Economy Wholesale Groceries & Meats warehouse at West Beaver and Barnett streets in 1947. (State Archives of Florida)

Lackawanna’s Seaboard Air Line Shops & Terminals. (State Archives of Florida)

The W. H. Clark Fruit Company at the intersection of West Beaver and Acorn streets. (Florida Southern College)