Bowery Station - Now an eclectic beer & wine bar that brings to life a little piece of old Apalach. Located in the historic Bowery district, of Apalachicola, on Florida's Panhandle.
A large mural painted on three panels each 10 feet tall by approximately 30 feet long, stretch along the entire wall of the Bowery Station Bar.
The pub was closed when I visited (early morning) The entrance is behind the Bowery Station, portion of the mural. As shown in this link: (
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"The Apalachicola Northern Railroad (reporting mark AN) was a short-line railroad which operated in the Florida Panhandle. It owned and operated a 96-mile (154 km) between Port Saint Joe, Florida and Chattahoochee, Florida, with a short spur to Apalachicola, Florida.
It was founded in 1903 and ceased operating in 2002 when the St. Joe Company, its corporate parent, leased its line to the AN Railway.
History:
The company was chartered on April 7, 1903. Construction began on March 21, 1905, and trains began running north from Apalachicola in 1907. The extension to Port St. Joe was completed on May 10, 1910.
The company operated in receivership on three separate occasions: July 1907 to October 1908, May 1914 to February 1916 and May 1932 to December 1936.
The company came under ownership of Alfred I. du Pont in 1933, along with the entire town of Port St. Joe. The railroad's largest customer, the St. Joe Paper Company mill in Port St. Joe, was owned by the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust from 1936 to 1996. On September 30, 1940, Edward Ball, who managed the du Pont trust properties, transferred control of the railroad to the St. Joe Paper Company. When the paper company was sold in 1996, ownership of the railroad was returned to the St. Joe Company.
AN Railway, a subsidiary of the Rail Management Corporation leased line from the St. Joe Company on September 1, 2002 and acquired the railroad's locomotives, rolling stock, and railroad equipment. From that date the Apalachicola Northern ceased to operate as a railroad. The St. Joe Company continues to own the physical line."
Downtown Apalachicola’s Historic Bowery District:
"The historic Bowery District, bounded by Avenue F, Market Street, and Water Street, is worth seeking out. In its earlier days, it was a bustling area home to the Apalachicola Northern Railroad Depot, and a numerous array of businesses: cafés, a barber shop, a pool room, meat markets, dry goods stores, and even a house of ill repute. During prohibition you could find moonshine illicitly sold in the back of a drug store. With the final departure of the train, the Bowery District fell into decline. Now the area is experiencing a revival, becoming a vibrant district once again."
"At Avenue F, you’ll find Bowery Station, a casual beer and wine “juke joint” founded in 2014 where you can enjoy live music every day of the week. The bar is owned and operated by Lisa and Matt Gardi. The couple grew up in New England, spent several years overseas and in the Florida Keys, and now call Apalachicola home as they feel it is “the best the world has to offer.” Their successful business model is to create the type of bar they would like to hang out in themselves, add some of the best live music on the Forgotten Coast, a welcoming atmosphere, and the result is a casual and fun environment for locals and tourists alike."
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Bowery Station.
131 Commerce St.
(Entrance & Artwork on Avenue F)
Apalachicola, FL, 32320