This week in history: Celestial Railroad launches

On July 4, 1889, a 7-1/2 mile railway from Jupiter to Juno opened. It was officially known as the Jupiter and Lake Worth Railway, but after an 1893 Harper’s Magazine article whimsically called it the Celestial Railway — because it started at Jupiter and passed through stations called Juno and Mars — the Celestial name stuck.

The 1887 construction of the Jupiter Inlet railway dock made it possible for steamships to reach the Celestial Railroad. Note the Jupiter Lighthouse in the background at left. (Photo courtesy of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County)

Dora Doster stands on the cow catcher of Celestial Railroad’s No. 1 locomotive. The railroad opened on July 4, 1889, and was the only game in town until Henry Flagler started Florida East Coast Railway, spurring the demise of the Celestial. (Photo courtesy of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County)

Tags: railroads, This Week in History