National Register of Historic Places

Bristol Railroad Station

Bristol (Independent City), Bristol County, Virginia
Listed
November 28, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80004173

About this property

Bristol station (locally known as Union Station and Bristol Train Station) is a historic railroad station in Bristol, Virginia, USA, just north of the Tennessee state line. Built in 1902, the station was served by passenger trains until 1971. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Bristol Railroad Station in 1980. Rail service first reached Bristol from Knoxville in 1856 via the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad, a predecessor of the Southern Railway, and from Lynchburg via the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, a predecessor of the Norfolk and Western Railway. The current station was built in 1902 by the Norfolk and Western at a cost of $79,000 (equivalent to $2,940,000 in 2025). It is a one- to two-story brick building consisting of a tower section; a long seven-bay, one-story midsection; and a six-bay, two-story east end. The tower has a hipped roof with deep overhanging eaves supported by long sawn brackets. Stylistically, the station fits into the pattern of early 20th-century American eclecticism, combining Romanesque with various European vernacular modes. Associated with the station is a brick freight house constructed in 1883 and expanded in 1891. Passenger service to Bristol station ended with the discontinuance of the N&W's and Southern Railway's Birmingham Special on April 30, 1971, when Amtrak assumed control for intercity passenger service in the United States. The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as the Bristol Railroad Station. Around 2017, with Amtrak extending one daily Northeast Regional round trip to Roanoke, Bristol officials began advocating for a further extension to Bristol. Media related to Bristol station (Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons

Location

Bristol (Independent City), Bristol County, Virginia
36.59563, -82.17952

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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.

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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

First Baptist Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
Bristol Commercial Historic District
Industrial
0.3 mi
Bristol Warehouse Historic District
Industrial
0.3 mi
King-Lancaster-McCoy-Mitchell House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Solar Hill Historic District
Civil War
0.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Island Flats (TN)
1776Revolutionary War
8.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bristol Railroad Station listed on the National Register?

Bristol Railroad Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 28, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Bristol Railroad Station?

Bristol Railroad Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bristol Railroad Station?

The period of significance for Bristol Railroad Station is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Bristol Railroad Station?

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