ET&WNC - Milligan Depot
The Milligan Depot, built in 1884, was originally a "passenger waiting shelter" according to Johnny Graybeal in his book entitled, Along the ET&WNC Volume III. A new shelter was built in 1896 to accomodate the increase in passengers. This small board and batten siding structure, was barely 15' x 11', just large enough to shelter a few people waiting for the train. A turnstile was at the entrance. This photograph is from the Clifford A Maxwell Photographs housed in the Archives of Appalachia.
The 4.4 mile trip to Johnson City took 15 minutes by train, while a ride to Elizabethton took 38 minutes. The ET&WNC retired this structure in 1934, but flag stop service continued until 1940, when passenger service was stopped. An article in a Milligan College newspaper, The Stampede, stated that mail and freight continued through 1950. The building no longer exists.
This photograph of ET&WNC train #207 coming into Milligan is from the James T. Dowdy, Sr. Collection housed in the Archives of Appalachia.
Though buses, automobiles, and paved highways have replaced the need for Milligan students to catch the train today, a new Milligan Depot Shelter has been erected near the site of the original depot. This new structure, reminiscent of the old depot with the pitched roof and horizontal planked sides, is in a sweet spot, surrounded by nature, rolling green hills, and beautiful mountains in the background. This rest stop along the Tweetsie Trail provides benches and bike racks enticing visitors to stop a while, sit a spell, reminisce, and admire the view. If you sit very quietly, you may even hear the train...