L&N Railroad Train Station in Alabama


Louisville and Nashville Depot, Evergreen Alabama
Northeast facade (1974)

The Louisville and Nashville freight and passenger depot is the major landmark of this small town and is similar to, but somewhat larger than the depots constructed by this line shortly after the turn of the century.

In the 1850's the first successful attempt to connect Evergreen with the major centers in the state by rail was begun. Subscriptions of the Alabama Florida Railroad, which was to connect Montgomery with Pensacola, were raised in Conecuh County as well as in other cities which were to benefit from the railroad. The major subscribers from Conecuh were: Andrew Jay, J. V. Perryman, Asa Johnson, and Elijah McCreary.

By 1859 work from both directions had begun, but the road was not completed until April 1861. Following the Civil War, the Alabama Florida line merged with the Mobile and Great Northern Railroad to connect the southern terminus of the Alabama and Florida line with Mobile. With rail transportation linking the town to the major ports and trade centers, Evergreen began to prosper.

In January of 1881, the line was leased to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company which eventually acquired the road in 1900. Seven years after the purchase of the line, L & N constructed the present station for $14,911.

During the early part of the 20th century, the station was the gathering place for one of the major weekly social events, meeting the Sunday afternoon train.

Building Description

The L & N Depot is the only structure located on a wide median strip that divides the main business street of the small town of Evergreen. The structure is similar to other stations constructed by the L & N line during this era, but many of these structures were demolished during the 1960s.

The one-story frame structure which rests on a low concrete foundation is roughly cruciform in shape measuring 167 feet in length and 49 feet at its widest point. The southwestern portion of the depot measures 120 feet by 32 feet and contains the freight and baggage sections. A three-foot high loading platform is located on the northern side of this section and extends around the western elevation. Two doors, eight feet wide, on both the northern and southern elevations, provide access to the freight room. On the southern elevation access to these doors is by separate 12-foot wide platforms. The roof on this section is hipped with wide overhangs supported by large brackets.

The northeastern section of the depot contains the waiting rooms and ticket office. The roofs of each of the three wings is hipped with wide overhangs supported by brackets, and each section contains a gabled dormer with louvered ventilators.

The interior divisions of this section consist of three waiting rooms and a ticket office. Two interior chimneys serve these rooms and the interior wall finish consists of narrow vertical siding.

Alterations have been minor and consist of the partitioning of two of the waiting rooms to provide space for restrooms.

Louisville and Nashville Depot, Evergreen Alabama Northeast facade (1974)
Northeast facade (1974)