Huntsville Depot

The Huntsville Depot located on the Norfolk Southern Railway line in downtown Huntsville is the oldest surviving railroad depot in Alabama and one of the oldest in the United States. Completed in 1860, the depot served as eastern division headquarters for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.[3] It is listed on both the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage and National Register of Historic Places.[1][2]

For the WWII chemical weapons plant of the same name, see Huntsville Arsenal.
Southern Railway System Depot
The depot in July 2010
Huntsville Depot is located in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville Depot
Huntsville Depot is located in Alabama
Huntsville Depot
Huntsville Depot is located in the United States
Huntsville Depot
Location330 Church St., Huntsville, Alabama
Coordinates34°44′4″N 86°35′27″W
Area2.8 acres (1.1 ha)
Built1860
NRHP reference No.71000101[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 10, 1971
Designated ARLHJune 25, 2002[2]

Huntsville was occupied by Union forces in 1862 during the Civil War as a strategic point on the railroad and the depot was used as a prison for Confederate soldiers. Graffiti left by the soldiers can still be seen on the walls. The Huntsville Depot saw its last regularly scheduled passenger train, Southern Railway's The Tennessean, on March 30, 1968. Today the Depot serves as a museum, part of the Early Works Museum.

A 0-4-0 Porter steam locomotive that was built in Pittsburgh in 1904 resides outside of the museum.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage". Alabama Historical Commission. Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  3. Kazek, Kelly (May 22, 2013). "Alabama's 3 known existing Civil War-era depots: What are they now?". The Huntsville Times. Huntsville, AL: Advance Publications. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Preceding station Southern Railway Following station
Madison
toward Memphis
 Memphis – Bristol Chase
toward Bristol
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