Missouri and North Arkansas Depot, Bellefonte Arkansas
- Categories:
- Arkansas
- Railroad Facility
- Passenger Station
Bellefonte was settled before the Civil War, and thrived as a cattle trading center and campground for drovers on the trail between Springfield, Missouri and northern Arkansas. The local economy slumped when Harrison, located approximately five miles to the northwest, became the county seat in 1873. The town revived somewhat with the arrival of the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad line in 1901, which connected it with both Harrison and Eureka Springs, the popular Ozark Mountain resort community. The Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad Depot was constructed at this time, primarily to handle passenger traffic and ticket sales.
The Missouri and North Arkansas Depot in Bellefonte is a single-story passenger depot constructed in 1901. This Plain Traditional-styled depot features an asphalt-shingled gable-on-hip roof with wide projecting eaves. A continuous stone foundation supports the rubble-finished stone veneer walls, while four-over-four double-hung windows light the interior. The original rectangular plan with telegrapher's bay has been marred by a wood-frame shed addition which attaches to and obscures the telegrapher's bay. A similar shed-roofed porch is attached to the opposite elevation. A single brick chimney rises through the center of the gable-on-hip roof, and a continuous stone foundation supports the structure.
The southern elevation is dominated by a projecting shed roof porch and stoop that provided access to the depot originally; the walls to the east and west are lighted with four-over-four wood sash windows. The northern elevation is accessed via a single-leaf entrance and is also lighted with four-over-four wood sash windows. Later wood sheds have been added to the eastern end of the elevation.
The western elevation is lighted with two four-over-four wood sash windows, placed centrally and paired; the eastern elevation is blank.
Any detail is provided only by the rubble finish on the exterior, as this is a simple structure built in the Plain Traditional style.
View from northwest (1990)
