It is fortunate that one of the old railroad depots remains as the showpiece of an era gone by to help us collect, archive and display the historic gems of the past. Below are pictured the two Callahan depots that stood side by side from the early 1880s until the original passenger Florida Railroad depot on the left burned about 1917. The two railroads collaborated by doubling the size of the elevated freight depot on the right, adding a clerk's office and ticket sales windows and passenger waiting rooms for white and colored on the far end. It is this building that remains as the headquarters of the West Nassau Historical Society and West Nassau Museum of History.
A Florida Nonprofit 501(c)3 Tax Exempt Organization
Located Inside the Historic Train Depot at 45383 Dixie Avenue, Callahan
Mail to P.O. Box 1758, Callahan, FL 32011 (904-879-3406)
Proud members of Nassau County Chamber of Commerce
and Arts and Culture Nassau
Collection of WNHS
Looking northeast with Brandies Avenue to the left and Dixie Avenue to the right. Circa 1880-1890s.
Abner McGehee
This page was last updated: September 15, 2025
The historic Callahan Train Depot
Copyright 2014-2025 WNHS
The depot sat in this, its second location, for generations. This is the southeast corner of the intersection of CSX's north-south double track and the old Florida Railroad line that went in front of Brandies Hardware. In the 1980s, it was acquired by the historical society and underwent a $100K renovation. This end of the depot was built in 1881 of Victorian architecture. The lower opposite end was built circa 1910 and became the passenger waiting rooms and agent's office.
Before Restoration
2025-2026 Officers
President: John Hendricks
Vice-President: Jerry Peterson
Treasurer: Emily Baumgartner
Secretary: Kim Hoffecker
2025-2026
Board of Directors
West Nassau Historical Society
Emily Baumgartner
Linda Conley
John Hendricks
Janet Homann
Kim Hoffecker
Jerry Peterson
Marge Powell
Jeanne Scott
Elton Steptoe
Collection of WNHS
SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE SUSTAINING MEMBERS
CORPORATE MEMBERS
Amanda Ream, Editor
Nassau County Record 904 879 2727
Golden Spike Level
Florida Power and Light
CSX Transportation
Okefenoke Rural Electric Co-op Foundation
First Baptist Church of Callahan
Town of Callahan
Rayonier
WestRock
Silver Spike Level
Bob Eubanks
Anchor Church
Schwend Insurance
AA Bottle Gas and Fuel
Hagan Ace Hardware
West Fraser. Inc.
Nassau Council of Arts and Culture
Bronze Spike Level
Vystar Credit Union
Southeastern Bank
General Meetings
4th Thursdays of each month
at the historic Callahan Train Depot
6:30 pm meal
7:00 pm meeting
Admission is free and open
to public but donations
are gladly accepted
The West Nassau Historical Society is an all-volunteer 501c3.
To donate to our group, call us today: 904 879-3406
We welcome you to our Internet site and hope to introduce you to what we have to offer at our historic Callahan depot headquarters and museum within the depot. We are in our 43rd year of caring about the future of our past. We are an all-volunteer organization looking for like-minded individuals and businesses who share our interests. Download a membership application below and join us in celebrating and preserving our rich and diverse history. Though we are located at the historic Callahan Train Depot in the heart of western Nassau County, we like our colleagues from the Yulee Historic Council and Amelia Island Museum of History, are interested in ALL of our county's history. However, our primary focus is on the western half of the county: from the banks of the tea-colored St. Marys River to Thomas Creek, from the towns of Bryceville, Boulougne, Callahan, and Hilliard to the ghost towns of Italia, Dyal, Crawford, and Gross and the vast timberlands that lay in between.
The historical society's theme is aimed at the history of the railroad which opened up the interior of Nassau County and much of the rest of the wilderness of the south and west. David Yulee's Florida Railroad began at new Fernandina, was finished through central Nassau County by mid-1856 and completed to Cedar Key by 1861. UPCOMING EVENTS
WEST NASSAU HISTORICAL SOCIETY SELECTS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2025, FOR THEIR
9TH ANNUAL HOBO DAY TRACTORS
AND VETERANS APPRECIAITON
The West Nassau Historical Society has selected Saturday, October 4, for their signature fundraising Hobo Day Tractors and Veterans Appreciation. The all-volunteer nonprofit’s 9th annual celebration is an all-day event held in and around the historic 1881 Callahan Train Depot and adjoining 1856 Florida Railroad bed. This year’s event will continue to celebrate Nassau County's Veterans and antique tractors and machines. The exhibition buildings, 144-year old wooden train station and 1940s-era caboose will also be open.
The arts/crafts vendors and food vendors are open from 9 AM to 3 PM and the kids area will include Joel Pace hands-on music zoo and a scavenger hunt. Local live entertainment will perform on the Callahan PAV Pavilion from 9 AM to 3 PM. Various citizens and sponsors as well as our Veterans honored and tractor and machines and contest winners announced during the festivities. Antique machines, tractors, and scaled trains will be exhibited outside the depot. This is an outdoor event so please bring your lawn chairs. Admission is free and open to the public but donations are always gladly accepted.
Tractor and Machine Show will be held from 10 to 2p on Saturday, October 4th, as part of the larger Hobo Day festival. All proceeds will go to the all-volunteer nonprofit West Nassau Historical Society. Contact them at 904 879-3406 or message them on Facebook for more info. For additional information on the 2025 Hobo Day Tractors Machines and Veterans Appreciation, visit http://www.wnhsfl.org or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer, vendor, sponsor, member, or donor call festival co-chairs John Hendricks or Emily Baumgartner at 904-879-3406.
West Nassau Historical Society Thanks these Dedicated Supporters...
WEST NASSAU HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO HOST THE 52nd CALLAHAN CHRISTMAS PARADE AND CRAFT FAIR ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6th
(West Nassau Historical Society Press Release, 07/28/2025)
The West Nassau Historical Society will host the 52nd edition of the Town of Callahan Christmas Parade and Craft Fair on Saturday, December 6th. The all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit will hold the Arts/Craft Fair portion from 9a-3p at the Depot Park Pavilion and adjacent railroad bed next to the historic Callahan Train Depot. The craft fair will be visited by a "special Someone" after the parade is over at the Depot Park Pavilion. Arts/craft entry forms will be available on Friday, August 1st, at http://www.wnhsfl.org, or by calling 904 879-3406 and leaving a message. Beware of unauthorized people who are trying to scam. The participants are asked to follow the rules listed on the back of the parade entry form, including no throwing candy from the floats, no balloons, and no Santas. The theme this year is "Come Home for Christmas Any Way You Can." The parade lineup starts at 9:15 am on Dixie Avenue. Parade participants must be in line and ready to roll at 10:30 am. Parade will begin at 10:45 am, weather permitting. The parade will enter US 1 at Dixie Avenue, move south through downtown Callahan before ending at the Fifth Ave traffic light. Return route will follow Booth Street north back to Dixie Avenue. More information on the parade and arts/craft fair will be announced in the coming weeks. The West Nassau Historical Society needs sponsors, members and volunteers to help make this yearly community tradition a huge success. Please contact Emily or John at the West Nassau Historical Society at 904 879-3406 to donate, join or volunteer. The West Nassau Historical Society is an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit and active member of Nassau Council of Arts and Culture.
Contact us for Food Vendor Form
Coming Soon to the historic Callahan Train Depot
Florida Humanities and Smithsonian Insitution Exhibit
Nassau = Food + Culture: What We Each Bring to the Table
March 28 thru December 12, 2026
West Nassau Historical Society selects January 29-31, 2026, as the dates for their 14th edition of Nassau Art at the Callahan Depot (NACD) art show and sale. West Nassau Historical Society press release, Sept 4, 2025
The West Nassau Historical Society has selected January 29-31, 2026, as the dates for their 14th edition of Nassau Art at the Callahan Depot (NACD) art show and sale. The judged event will begin on Thursday, January 29, with an opening reception from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. On Friday, January 30,the show will run from 3:30 pm to 7 pm with a kids' award presentation and ice cream reception capping the evening. The NACD Art Show and Shop will end with a finale on Saturday, January 31, from 10 am to 1:30 pm. The adult division award ceremony, with prizes in the categories of painting, photography, and 3-D art, will complete the event that day at 1:30 pm. The NACD is designed to provide a venue to showcase the many talented artists of all ages who reside or attend a middle or senior high school in Nassau County, Florida. The annual art exhibit will be held inside the historic Callahan Train Depot located at 45383 Dixie Avenue. The all-volunteer nonprofit organization encourages all Nassau County artists to visit wnhsfl.org for entry applications and art show information. Deadline for entering the county-wide art show is noon on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. The NACD art show is free and open to the public all three days, but donations will be gladly accepted. If you want to become a volunteer or sponsor for our 14th NACD Art Show and Sale, contact us today at 904-879-3406.
The 14th NACD art show is made possible in part by a generous grant from the OREMC Foundation. The West Nassau Historical Society is a registered all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting Nassau County’s history and culture and is entrusted with the upkeep of the historic late Victorian-style Callahan Train Depot. We are also an active supporter of the West Nassau Arts Alliance and Nassau Council of Arts and Culture, organizations dedicated to promoting the arts in Nassau County. The West Nassau Historical Society is always looking for new members and volunteers to help us promote our county's rich history and culture and to host historical and cultural events such as this, so contact us today.
To Volunteer for any of the West Nassau Historical Society events or activities,
Or,
To Donate to the Society as a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, contact Emily or John at (904-879-3406).
