Huntsville Depot
Encyclopedia
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 division headquarters for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad
.
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.
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
line in downtown Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
is the oldest surviving railroad depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and one of the oldest in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Completed in 1860, the depot served as division headquarters for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad
Memphis and Charleston Railroad
The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River. Chartered in 1846 the railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee to Stevenson, Alabama through the towns of Corinth, Mississippi and Huntsville,...
.
Huntsville was occupied by Union forces
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
in 1862 during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
as a strategic point on the railroad and the depot was used as a prison for Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
soldiers. Graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
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
Tennessean (passenger train)
The Tennessean was a named passenger train jointly-operated by the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Southern Railway . Inaugurated on May 17, 1941, its route ran from Washington, DC to Lynchburg, Virginia on the SR, then on to Bristol, Tennessee on the N&W, terminating at Memphis Union Station...
, on March 30, 1968. Today the Depot serves as a museum, part of the Early Works Museum.
See also
- Alabama Constitution VillageAlabama Constitution VillageThe Alabama Constitution Village is a historical open air museum in Huntsville, Alabama that reenacts life in 1819. The eight buildings include a law office, print shop, land surveyor's office, post office, cabinetmaker's shop and residence....
- North Alabama Railroad MuseumNorth Alabama Railroad MuseumThe North Alabama Railroad Museum, Inc. is a railway museum in Chase, Alabama. The museum, incorporated in 1966, is owned and operated by the North Alabama Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The museum has a collection of rolling stock, a small train station, and a small heritage...
- List of museums in Alabama
- List of transport museums