CC&O - Erwin Depot

The railroad came to Erwin in 1888.  According to Viola Ruth E. Swingle, in a book entitled, Ervin, [sic] the first "depot" was actually a boxcar.  Swingle stated that this was a time of excitement in Erwin, a small community of only 200.  People came from miles around just to watch the train, referred to as the "swift iron horse."  The whistle "echoed through the valley," and was "music to most of the citizens of the country." 

By August 4, 1923, the increase in passengers at Erwin necessitated a new, better-equipped facility to handle traffic.  On the first day of October, 1923, L. L. McIntyre, Superintendent of the CC&O, sent a letter to L. H. Phetteplace, General Manager, and W. C. Hattan, Resident Engineer, relaying that he had examined the blueprints of the proposed passenger station at Erwin, and he concurred the plans should be carried out.  On January 18, 1925, Phetteplace, notified Hattan that the Authorization for Expenditures for the erection of a passenger station at Erwin, Tennessee, was approved by the Board.  Hattan was warned by Phetteplace, that the Board was concerned that the structure could be built at the estimated cost of $30,000, over half a million today, and that the work was to be done "WITHIN THE AUTHORITY," and under no circumstances to exceed it.

The Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway Records, housed in the Archives of Appalachia, contains seven folders of detailed information about the construction of the depot in Erwin, from the Spanish roofing tiles, priced at $1150, and weighing 850 pounds, (See Exhibit A) to the concrete base.  There are drawings and specifications for every detail including floor plans, windows, roofing, heating systems, hardware, materials, etc., with pricing and conditions meticulously laid out.  Local vendors included Summers Hardware Company, Watauga Cement Products, Kingsport Brick, and The Howard-Hickory Company-Nurserymen and Landscape Gardeners.  One delivery order from Summers Hardware was six pages, listing more than 2,000 items. Many of the materials were shipped to Erwin via CC&O railway cars.

On June 29, 1925, Mr. W. A. Starritt, CC&O Purchasing Agent, was instructed by W. C. Hattan to place insurance on the depot in the amount of $15,000, approximately $260,000 today.

A detailed architectural description of the depot is given in a report from the National Register of Historic Places found in the Appalachian Vertical Files.  A concrete foundation supported brick walls consisting of thirty thousand face bricks and eighty thousand common bricks.  The roof was asphalt shingles. The basement contained the furnace and coal room, an ice room, a supply room, locker room for trainmen's lanterns, conductor's supply boxes, flagging equipment, uniforms, etc.

The depot was built in a simple Romanesque cross plan. A characteristic trait of this architectural style is heavy round arched windows and doors.  Three distinguishing two-story, arched windows in the central, hipped roof portion are comprised of three 1-over-1 double hung wooden sash windows. (See Exhibit B) The center window has an operable hopper window on top, with the entrance at the bottom.  The door is multicolored with transom and side lights.  A 16' x 6' opal and blue stained glass marquee, created by E. T. Barnum Iron and Wire Works, covers the entrance. (See Exhibit C)  A unique feature of this depot is the imbedded brick circles displaying the date of construction on the front just above the arched windows. (See Exhibit D-1, D-2)

The short end of the cross held a two-story lobby waiting room and ticket office featuring an 18' ceiling of plastered walls and brick wainscoting.  There were three ticket windows and grills with frosted lights, joined together by a brass counter. (See Exhibit E) The south wing contained a secondary waiting room with 10' ceilings which housed restrooms for African Americans, and trainsmen's lobby.  Baggage and package express area, office, scales, vault room, and restrooms for the main lobby also had 10' ceilings and were located in the north wing.  

Bright and early, at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, September 17, 1925, train No. 39 was granted the privilege of being the first to roll into the new depot at Erwin, located on the corner of Union Street and Nolichuckey Avenue.  Swingle described the depot as  "a very popular place used for social gatherings where most of the town's population, young or old, turned out to meet the trains and watch them come and go."

Steve King, in his book Clinchfield Country, relates that trains No. 37 and No. 38 picked up passengers daily until 1954 when passenger service ceased. The depot then served as a signal and communications shop for the railroad.  A plaque displayed on the walls of the former depot states that the building was purchased from CSX Transportation Company by Kenneth Scott Tony, Sr. in 1989, and donated to the town of Erwin to be used as a library.  

I visited the former depot in August 2023 in order to take current photographs.  As I was walking behind the building toward the railroad tracks, I saw a train coming in the distance.  As the train grew closer, the conductor waved.  As I excitedly returned his greeting, I was given a glimpse of what it must have been like for passengers all those years ago, and the eager anticipation of watching the train approach the station. 

As I made my way around to the front of the building, I took the time to admire the beautiful architecture. Meticulously designed wooden brackets that support the eaves were unchanged and flow all the way around the lower roof sections.

Exhibit A - Spanish Roofing Tiles are clearly visible.

Exhibit B -  Three distinguishing two-story, arched windows, three 1-over-1 double hung wooden sash windows. 

Exhibit C -  A 16' x 6' Opal and blue stained glass marquee, created by E. T. Barnum Iron and Wire Works, covers the entrance.

Upon entering the lobby, I was transported back in time.  It was easy to envision the way it must have looked years ago.  A two-story arched window was straight ahead and commanded attention.  As my eyes followed the window up to the 10' ceiling, they were immediately drawn to the dark wood beams that extend across the ceiling.   

The right side of the library displaying the brackets and underside of the eave.

Exhibit D-1  Close up view of the imbedded brick circles on the front of the building.

Exhibit D-2  Close up view of the imbedded brick circles on the back of the building.

Exhibit E - Ticket windows with frosted glass and brass counter.

Once I was able to turn my eyes away from the stunning windows, I observed the three original ticket windows to my left.  I imagined approaching the window to purchase a ticket.  Never one to pass up an adventure, I made my way behind the three windows.  

Center Window - Ticket Clerk's View

To  the right and down the hall, the old freight door still hangs where it did all those years ago.

Though renovated, patrons will find the architectural integrity of the old train depot remains intact in what is now the Colonel J. F. Toney Memorial Library: depot ticket windows, freight scales, and sliding freight doors help to keep alive the memory of the railroad that built Erwin.  As the train moved down the tracks and out of sight, I was reminded of the importance of preserving important historical treasures such as the former CC&O depot for future generations.  

These architectural drawings of a combination station, dated 1909, are from the James A. Goforth Collection.

This drawing is the general plan including floor plan and rear and front elevations.

This drawing includes plans for the roof, foundation, and longitudinal section.

This drawing depicts the freight house, chimney hanger, detail of masonry, bracket details, freight room door, and cash counters