By Steve Patrinostro
Shared with East Hillsborough Historical Society for sharing with all rights reserved. For any additional use, please get in touch with [email protected], who will, in turn, contact Mr. Patrinostro. Thank you.
Patrinostro Family and friends at Hwy 23 and the CCC Rd (present day Patrinostro Rd & Paul S. Buchman Hwy) with the Train passing southbound to Plant City (Dec 1938)
Appearing in the photograph are Antonino (Anthony) Patrinostro (third from right), Salvadora (Dora) Maggio-Patrinostro (back row 5th from right), theirdaughter Florence Patrinostro [LaBarbera] (back row 6th from right), son Frank Patrinostro (front row 2d from right), son Philip A. Patrinostro (2d from left), and daughter, Ann Patrinostro [Estes] (far left).
Photo Source Patrinostro & LaBarbera Family Photo Albums
On a historic winter day in December 1938, excitement stirred in the quiet fields of northeastern Hillsborough County as a streak of silver and burgundy roared down the Seaboard Air Line Railway. (Seaboard Air Line merged with Atlantic Coast Line in 1967, becoming the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad). It was the inaugural diesel-powered run of the Orange Blossom Special, a streamlined marvel destined to make railroad history as it rolled into Plant City, Florida, for the very first time.
Seven miles to the north, on a rural corner where Patrinostro Road and Paul S. Buchman Highway now intersect (formerlyHwy 23 and the “CCC Road”), a group of Patrinostro family and neighbors gathered in anticipation. With their ever-present Stevens Savage Shotguns and .22 Rifles in hand, the group posed in front of a camera, forever capturing the moment the future sped past their 45-acre farmstead. The image, now a treasured piece of local history, shows the powerful new engine hurtling southbound, its Art Deco lines a stark contrast to the pinewoods, truck farms, tin-roofed homes, barns, and outhouses of the countryside.
Within minutes, downtown Plant City welcomed the gleaming train with civic pride. A brass band lined the tracks at the depot, playing patriotic tunes as the train pulled in beneath the water tower. Citizens gathered to marvel at the modern engineering, some in pressed white slacks and others in overalls, all sensing that something momentous had arrived.
The Orange Blossom Special would go on to become one of the most iconic trains in American history—immortalized in song, admired by rail enthusiasts, and remembered fondly by those who witnessed its firstFlorida appearance. For the citizens of Plant City and the farming families north of town, that day marked the meeting of old Florida with the bold, streamlined future of American travel.
Photo Citation
Florida Memory. “Arrival of the Orange Blossom Special train – Plant City, Florida.” *Image Number RC10733*. State Archives of Florida. December 1938. (https://www.Floridamemory.com/items/ show/33349)
Historical Development of the Highway Between Plant City and Zephyrhills
Early Origins (1930s and Prior)
In the 1930s, the corridor linking Plant City, Crystal Springs, and Zephyrhills was known as State Road 23 (sometimes shown simply as “Highway 23”). At that time, it was mostly a narrow sand road and underwent its 9irst widening during that decade.Specifically, SR 23 originally ran from Plant City north to Crystal Springs, then west on Central Avenue, and north up Crystal Springs Road into Zephyrhills.
1945 Renumbering & Transition to SR 39, then Paul S. Buchman Hwy
In 1945, Florida implemented a major overhaul of its state highway numbering. As part of this, the Highway 23 designationwas retired for this route, and it was renumbered as State Road 39, consistent with the new statewide numbering system. From thatpoint, the former “Highway 23” corridor between Plant City and Zephyrhills became part of SR 39 in official documents and signage. After the October 9, 1991 death of longtime Plant City Lawyer and City Attorney, Paul S. Buchman at age 68, the Florida Legislature officially designated that portion of SR 39 that lies between Interstate 4 in Hillsborough County and the Hwy 39 – Hwy 301 Intersection in Pasco County as “Paul S. Buchman Highway” (Act 94-363, 1994 Session, March 28, 1994).
Route Developments Through the Decades
Over time, SR 39 gradually improved and expanded. By 2007, resurfacing in Dade City revealed the hidden status of SR 39 along concurrent U.S. Routes 98/301 when detours uncovered signage referencing SR 39 as the underlying state route.
In the 2010s and later, segments around Plant City were realigned—Pathways like Alexander Street and Paul S. Buchman Highwaywere redesignated as SR 39A or absorbed into County Road designations; these modern changes, however, don’t affect the historic 1930s alignment storyline.
Citations (Edited from Initial ChatGpt5 Sourcing and Drag Assist)
- – Florida State Road 39. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Florida_State_Road_39
- – AARoads – Florida State Road 39 Guide. https://www.aaroads.com/guides/9l-039
- – AARoads – State Road 39A. https://www.aaroads.com/guides/9l-039a
- – FDOT Project 439830-1-52-01 SR 39 (Paul Buchman Highway) Repaving. https://www.fdottampabay.com/project/310/439830-1-52-01
- – FDOT: History of State Roads in Florida (PDF). https:// fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/statistics/docs/state-roads-history.pdf
