DAVID YULEE

DAVID LEVY YULEE — FATHER OF FLORIDA’S RAILROAD

David Yulee – David Levy Yulee, one of the first United States senators from Florida, established the first cross-state railroad running from Fernandina Beach to Cedar Key, which opened on March 1, 1861.

When Yulee established the railroad, he platted “new” Fernandina, shifting the town of Fernandina from Old Town to the location along Centre Street. As a result of this shift, Old Town has become primarily a residential neighborhood.