Page 39 - Demo
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ABy Val Schoger
Photography by Dylan Carney
long driveway winds under oak trees, circling a white marble fountain with
cascading water sparkling from mythical creatures frozen in motion. The heavy front door of solid bronze and glass swings open as a prelude to entering the grand home of Karen Durden and family.
Karen Durden, the perfect host, greets visitors with her typical large warm smile and innate class. This estate, she explains, is a dream ful lled by her late husband Earl Durden.
One of Northwest Florida's most prominent businessmen, K. Earl Durden was an icon in the railroad industry. He is best known in Panama City, his chosen home town, as the owner/operator of the Bay Line Railroad. He owned 16 railroads across the country. Florida Trend Magazine named him one of the 100 most in uen- tial persons in Florida. Among many other notable achievements and positions, Earl Durden was a former chairman of the Florida Transportation Commission and longtime chairman of The Ameri- can Short Line and Regional Rail Road Association.
www.PanamaCityLiving.com • May - June 2018 • 39
