About this property
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. It is listed on both the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage and National Register of Historic Places. 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. The Depot served for at time as a museum, part of the Early Works Museum. In October 2024, museum officials said they were no longer involved with operations and the property had been returned to the control of the City of Huntsville, which was considering options for the building. A 0-4-0 Porter steam locomotive that was built in Pittsburgh in 1904 resides outside of the museum.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Southern Railway System Depot
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Questions about this property
When was Southern Railway System Depot listed on the National Register?
Southern Railway System Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 1971.
What type of historic resource is Southern Railway System Depot?
Southern Railway System Depot is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Southern Railway System Depot?
The period of significance for Southern Railway System Depot is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1860.
Can I research the history near Southern Railway System Depot?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Southern Railway System Depot will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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