Thomasville Depot, Thomasville Georgia

Date added: September 27, 2023 Categories: Georgia Train Station Passenger Station

Depot and Train Shed as seen from east or Restaurant End looking south (1987)

On April 16, 1861, shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, the first train reached Thomasville on the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad, a line from Savannah, Georgia. Nearby towns sprang up along the railroad, as they were to do all over the country, and especially in south Georgia. Thomasville was the western terminus of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad until 1867 when the line was extended forty-five miles west to Bainbridge.

Before the railroad arrived, cotton and other crops were taken overland to Tallahassee, Florida, thirty-five miles southwest of Thomasville. There a rail line shipped them to a port on the Gulf of Mexico. The advent of the railroad allowed Thomasville to be a major supplier of food during the Civil War, as well as a point of refuge for people from Savannah and coastal Georgia.

In 1869, the third rail line built from Thomasville (the South Georgia and Florida Railroad) was completed 58 miles north to Albany, Georgia. Along this line, more towns developed. In 1888, after much delay, a fourth line, built by the Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad, was finished from Thomasville to Monticello, Florida. Along this line the town of Metcalfe developed. No rail line was ever built connecting Thomasville and Tallahassee. The Atlantic and Gulf, renamed the Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad, and the South Georgia and Florida Railroad were all eventually bought starting in 1879 by Henry B. Plant, the railroad magnate who built up the west coast of Florida. By 1888, all Thomasville rail lines were Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad.

The fifth and final line built out of Thomasville was that of the Tifton, Thomasville and Gulf Railroad, completed in 1900 to Tifton, Georgia, another county-seat town 55 miles to the northeast.

The first known railroad depot, built about 1861, served both passengers and freight. It is believed to have looked similar to the 1857 one still standing in Albany, Georgia, a simple brick warehouse-type structure. The one in Thomasville, a frame building, was demolished after 1950.

A much larger and more fashionable depot/passenger station was built in Thomasville during 1885-1886 by the Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad. It was a two-story frame structure with a train shed. The new depot was a necessity due to the great influx of Northern tourists, seasonal visitors, and eventually part-time residents. Thomasville had become one of the most fashionable winter resorts in the nation due to its pine forests and reputed healthy climate. It remained in this exalted position for about twenty years until the opening of Florida to tourists and the discovery that Thomasville's climate wasn't really as therapeutic as once thought. During the last quarter of the 19^th century, many large hotels were built in Thomasville for the visitors.

Even though most of the tourist trade left Thomasville after Florida opened up, the city continued to grow in the early 20^th century. It became one of the major cities in south Georgia as the rail business shifted from being tourist oriented to business and commerce.

By November 1912, the people of Thomasville wanted a new passenger station and the newspaper editorialized about this need. The 1885-1886 depot had been allowed to deteriorate by the new owners of the rail line, Atlantic Coast Line. After much local agitation, a letter dated February 17, 1913, arrived from the railroad owners for the editor of the newspaper. It indicated that plans were underway for a new passenger station. Building plans for the new depot were announced in the issue of November 1, 1913. The city council approved the plans, with work to begin in February, 1914. Although the railroad discussed the idea of putting the station at a slightly different location, local officials and citizens were in favor of it being at the same location as the old one. On February 27, 1914, the newspaper published a drawing of the new depot, giving the citizens their first glimpse of it. The contract was let in March to W. H. Little and W. C. Philips of Cordele, Georgia for $27,000. This article referred to the depot being designed in the Mission Revival style.

The new depot was opened to the public by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad on November 5, 1914. The local people and their newspaper were duly impressed with the building, a result of their efforts two years earlier.

This depot was at its peak in terms of use in the 1920s and 1930s when 34 passenger trains arrived or departed daily from Thomasville. Most of these came through this depot, although the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic line (the new owner for the line to Tifton) had a depot (now destroyed) on South Dawson Street. Thomasville was on a main line between Saint Louis, Missouri and Jacksonville, Florida as well as between Chicago and Tampa. It was also a point where train crews were changed. At one time there were a roundhouse and maintenance shops just west of the station.

The Railway Express Agency building which survives on the property is a reminder of the valuable services rendered during the high point of the railroad era by express companies. They were similar to today's trucking operations or parcel delivery services, distributing packages throughout the U.S. An express service existed in Thomasville as early as 1865. By 1912, an express building was built on the depot lot. Previous buildings were frame, but by 1928 the existing building was erected by the Railway Express Agency (REA) on the grounds. It operated from this building until around 1971. Since then the building has been used for storage.

The depot was in use twenty-four hours a day, and thus the restaurant stayed open the entire time. During the time of private rail cars, there was even a side track to accommodate those visitors who were wealthy enough to travel in their own railroad cars.

By 1959, the number of trains had dwindled to six. The restaurant closed in 1969, being replaced by vending machines. As segregation in public accommodations ended in the early 1960s, the black facilities were partitioned off for other uses. The mail room was also deactivated. On October 1, 1979, AMTRAK, which had earlier taken over passenger service along the route, discontinued the "Floridian", the last passenger train to serve the run from Chicago to Miami, and thus through Thomasville. Since then the depot has remained largely empty, awaiting a new use.

Building Description

The Thomasville Depot is located in downtown Thomasville, a small, county-seat town in south Georgia, approximately fifteen miles north of the Georgia-Florida border. The Thomasville Depot is a two-story with basement, red brick railroad depot/passenger station built in 1914 with endrooms reminiscent of the Mission Revival style. The depot building includes both a second floor and a restaurant, and the property also includes a historic train shed and a Railway Express Agency (REA) building. The depot has horizontal lines, low metal roofs, wide overhanging eaves, and red brick walls. It is parallel to the railroad tracks. The first floor of the depot contains, from west to east, rooms originally designated for: baggage, the U.S. mail, two black restrooms, the black waiting room, the ticket office, the white waiting room, two white restrooms, the kitchen and black lunch room, and the main white dining room. The second floor contains offices.

The exterior of the depot building used as a design feature cream-colored brick to highlight the windows and door lintels as well as to distinguish between the two floors. Terra-cotta panels were used for the signs indicating "Restaurant" and "Baggage" over those respective ends of the depot and the word "Thomasville" in the central bay of the second floor facing both the railroad tracks as well as on the other side facing the town. The rooms on either end are highlighted by stepped and scrolled gables. On the interior, original plumbing, bathroom fixtures, some original seating, signage, and the ticket window survive. The train shed retains its original gable metal roof supported by "Y" braces. The REA building, located on the west side of the property, was built by 1928. It is a simple, one-story brick building with a flat roof and an interior that is mostly one large room.

The grounds include rose bushes and palm trees as well as a parking lot. The site, the same location as an earlier 1885 depot, is just west of the Thomasville Commercial District and is close to industrial and manufacturing plants. Changes to the property have been minimal and include temporary partitions and new paneling in some rooms, the addition of new lighting and heating equipment, and the reduction of some entrance doorways.