Southern - Bulls Gap Depot
Bulls Gap has had a long-standing relationship with the railroad. The tale is told that in 1857, the railroad christened the town "Rogersville Junction" after the people of Rogersville protested the railroad coming through their town. Henry R. Price, in his book Hawkins County Tennessee, stated the reasoning was that "it would take up valuable land for rights-of-way, would disturb public worship with trains running on Sunday, and would be dangerous to children and livestock." Price also revealed that the people of Rogersville were opposed to the fact that the railroad was being built "exclusively with slave labor." In reality, engineers conducted a survey, and Bulls Gap was chosen as the superior route as it was the path of least resistance with workable terrain. As a result, the railroad came to Bulls Gap. On May 14, 1858, the East Tennessee and Virginia and the East Tennessee and Georgia lines were completed.
The Bulls Gap Depot was built in 1858. The vernacular construction of Gothic Revival influence featured raking eaves extending straight down past the wall with no brackets. One difference in this depot is the awnings placed over the bay ticket window and the side entrance doors. A semaphore pole is visible in front near the ticket window.
According to a report by the Bulls Gap Railroad Museum & Community Development Corporation, Bulls Gap was a hub for three major railway lines. The town became a "mini division point" for the Southern East Tennessee Lines. Buildings included "a depot, water towers, sand house, dormitory, and other support building." In its heyday, the Bulls Gap Depot serviced 14 passenger trains daily.
The importance of railroads in rural areas is emphasized by Henry R. Price in a book entitled,"Hawkins County Tennessee A Pictorial History." In the year 1873, the following items were shipped through the "Rogersville Junction" terminal, as Bulls Gap was called at the time.
7,697,491 pounds of goods and commodities were shipped. These included:
- 69,200 pounds of bacon and lard
- 15,000 pounds of butter
- 196,000 pounds of flour
- 98,000 pounds of corn
- 3,716,000 pounds of wheat
- 222,000 pounds of oats
- 422,000 pounds of dried fruit
- 1,188,000 pounds of barrel staves
- 18,000 pounds of eggs
- 13,000 pounds of feathers
- 106,000 pounds of hay
- 16,000 pounds of scrap iron
- 50,000 pounds of lumber and shingles
- two car loads of sheep
- 1,210,291 pounds of miscellaneous goods.
Today...
Southern destroyed the depot in 1978-79. This is an aerial view of the former site of the Southern Depot. The depot stood on the right side of the tracks near the railroad.
Here is the spot where the Bulls Gap Depot sat for 120 years. The building is gone, but just across the street from where the depot stood, a museum is keeping the memory alive. Housed in the former railroad company store, the Bulls Gap Railroad Museum is located at 153 Main Street in downtown Bulls Gap, and is open daily. Bill Haskins, President and daily volunteer, is welcoming, friendly, and eager to tell stories of days gone by. Though he never worked on the railroad, his grandfather and great-grandfather both worked for Southern. Bill proudly speaks of the Hamilton Watch belonging to his great-grandfather, a critical piece of equipment that has now been passed down to him. The museum features model train layouts, walls and shelves filled with photographs and train memorabilia, and also souvenirs, such as railroad decals and t-shirts. If the timing is right, patrons will experience the thrill of the vibration and rumbling of the Norfolk Southern trains that continue to roar past several times each day. The museum averages 2,000 visitors each year from as far away as Japan and Austrailia. For more information call (423) 393-4429.