We also are entrusted with the maintenance and upkeep of the historic 1881 Callahan Train Depot. The West Nassau Historical Society was founded in 1975 by Louis Driggers, Jan Johannes, and other like-minded individuals during America's bicentennial craze of the mid 1970s. The saw the need to meet on a regular basis and discuss the rich and diverse history that was Nassau County history, especially
concentrating on the western portion of the county. They started collected artifacts, maps, and other items that represented our area's past. Meanwhile, a moment was started within the community to save the unused and dilapidated 1881 Callahan Train Depot. The two joined forces and with the help of then state Representative George Crady saved the historic station from certain destruction. In the mid 1980s CSX Transportation had given to the Historical Society a 1-acre parcel of the 1856 Florida Railroad rail bed in Callahan and by 1988 the train station was moved to its current location and fully renovated. In 2006 the West Nassau Historical Society along with the Town of Callahan celebrated the 150th anniversary of the coming of the Florida Railroad to inland Nassau County, a festival that the Historical Society still hosts. In 2008 the group opened the West Nassau Museum of History inside the 1881 depot to house its growing collection of historic artifacts donated by citizens of the area. The museum is open most Saturdays and the Railroad Day Festival is held each year in April. Today the West Nassau Historical Society is an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit registered in the State of Florida and is always in need of volunteers to help us reach our mission of highlighting, promoting, and discovering more of our county's history.
