Southern - Morristown Depot
The East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad, which would later become a part of Southern, came to Morristown in 1852. The first depot located in the heart of downtown Morristown near Main and Henry streets was mentioned in the Morristown Gazette in 1888 boasting the "finest passenger depot and waiting rooms in East Tennessee" at a cost of $4500. Proof of the importance of the depot could be found in newspapers as most advertisments had vendors giving their location as "near the depot."
By 1908, Southern had two depots on South Henry, one for freight, and one for passengers, with the Knoxville and Bristol Division tracks running between them. The Asheville Division tracks ran in front of the freight office, then veered to the right, behind the Passenger Depot. The Passenger Depot platform was extensive, surrounding the Depot in front and back meeting both lines.
In 1913, the new passenger depot in this photo was built. This modern Richardsonian Romanesque style depot was brick, and featured a hipped roof, four chimneys, heavy round arched windows and doors, brackets, and raking eaves. The centered ticket office had a gazebo style roof, with pentagonal walls. There were two waiting rooms separated by the ticket office. The building had electric lights and steam heat. The semaphore signal stands prominently in front.
By the 1930s, industry had increased to "thirty small factories and six tobacco warehouses."
Nearly seventy-five years later, "the finest depot" was referred to as a "smoke-house" in the Morristown Gazette Mail, dated July, 1962. Harold L. Hill was sending a shout-out to the railroad to "look to their own interest." In September, 1962, Southern Railway petitioned the Tennessee Public Service Commission "to move the passenger and freight depot from downtown Morristown westward to the Newline Junction, and to dismantle the old passenger and freight depots." By June 1963, Southern Railway announced the opening of a new passenger depot located near Newline on the Knoxville Highway. Passenger service ceased in the early 70s.
Today...
The 1960s urban renewal in downtown Morristown gave a nod to history by replacing the former Southern Depot with a Farmer's Market located at 130 West Morris Boulevard. This photo was taken from North Henry Street. The pavilion is just a few feet away from the former depot, which was positioned closer to the railroad tracks to the left.
Side view of the Farmer's Market located at 130 West Morris Boulevard near the former site of the Southern Depot in Morristown. The railroad tracks are to the left. This photo, taken from North Henry Street, reveals a structure very similar to a railroad platform.
Railroad tracks looking toward Knoxville, near the site of the former Southern Railroad Freight Depot, which was located on the right side where a parking lot is now visible. The passenger depot was located on the left side of the tracks on Henry Street, a few feet away from the current Farmer's and Artisan's Market.
Railroad tracks looking toward Bulls Gap, near the site of the former Southern Railroad Passenger Depot which was located in the area of the parking lot visible on the right. The Farmer's Market pavilion is to the right of the parking lot. The freight depot was located across the tracks, in what is now a parking lot, on the left.
When the Southern Depot, in downtown Morristown, was destroyed in 1963, a new depot was built at what is now 249 East Manley Court Circle. Passenger service had majorly declined by the 60s. This plain and small vernacular depot cannot really be assigned any stylistic design. It was built for functionality. The vertical, metal siding, is reminiscent of the wood batten board siding of earlier days. Other similarities are raking eaves, eight-over-eight windows, and two distinct areas for passengers and freight. A difference is the concrete block base.
The right side view of the Southern Passenger and Freight Depot, 249 East Manley Court Circle, Morristown, TN, built in 1963 features one eight-over-eight window, entrance door, freight door and concrete platform on the end. Two former freight doors on the front have been renovated as entrance doors.
The exterior view of the former Southern Passenger and Freight Depot, 249 East Manley Court Circle, Morristown, TN, shows an extensive original platform near the tracks.
Norfolk Southern Train Engine parked at the rear of the former Morristown Passenger and Freight Depot.