Restored train station in Kentucky

Shelbyville L & N Railroad Depot, Shelbyville Kentucky

Date added: July 01, 2023 Categories: Kentucky Train Station

View of station from the northwest (1975)

This typical late 19th-century, small-scale passenger depot was built in 1895 and served as one of Shelbyville's two stations until passenger trains ended service, May 1971 in this case.

The L & N leased its line to the Chesapeake & Ohio through here, and both roads operated trains, The C & O maintained it as a branch of its Louisville-Cincinnati to Washington, D.C., service. Two crack trains on this line, the George Washington and the F. F. V, were famous for their luxurious service. They connected at Ashland, Kentucky, with the C & O Cincinnati trains. These trains were noted for their east-west service, and were favorites with Senators, Congressmen, and other public figures.

Two weeks before his re-election, President Truman made a rear platform appearance and speech at this L & N station, making a special: reference to Shelby County as the home county of his four grandparents, who migrated to Missouri in the 1840s. Similar whistle-stop speeches were made at this depot earlier by Presidents Taft and Harding. There have been other notable large gatherings at this station, and generations of college students from this area have traveled to eastern schools from this station over the C & O.

The building was marked for demolition in the spring of 1972. Several people and organizations became interested in saving it.

The station stood between tracks, where freight trains pass, and could not be utilized there. The L & N had abandoned it as offices; it was too large and could not be heated or air conditioned. The present owner acquired it, and had it moved at considerable expense. It has been restored and renovated, and made into a gift shop and offices.

Building Description

This railroad station is typical of modest late Victorian depots. It is ornate with wide overhanging roof, gables, and a low tower, all adorned with carpenter's work.

The depot was originally set between the L & N tracks which passed through Shelbyville. The present owner has moved the structure about two blocks away to a sloping hillside site, where it has been relocated, restored, and adapted to commercial use while retaining the original fabric and appearance. The change in site necessitated the placing of the station building on a platform to compensate for the slope. Although the upper side of the original building now abuts directly on the ground and thus retains its original appearance, the other side (originally facing the main train platform) is elevated on a terrace of cinder blocks and wood-slat latticing. Although the roof has modern asphalt shingle, the remainder of the structure is essentially intact, including handsome paneled doors and delicate brackets supporting the wide eaves.

The length of the building is broken by a series of interruptions, both at the roofline and along the sides, reflecting the position of the interior spaces. At one corner a charming tower cuts through the eaves with its paneled walls; its pyramidal roof is the only part of the roof independent of the rest. The other small gables over the bays are also paneled in what might have been considered by contemporaries a "Japanese" or "Eastlake" effect. The locations of the waiting rooms, stationmaster's office, and baggage or freight room are indicated on the exterior separate bays. The walls have horizontal baseboards. Above them is a dado of tongue-and-groove boards repeated under the eaves. In between is horizontal weatherboarding interrupted at frequent intervals by the narrow windows that extend from dado to upper molding. The paneled effect is emphasized by the colors which have been recreated on the advice of a paint expert. The walls are yellow with white trim.

The interior is divided into four compartments. The only alteration has been to lengthen a window into a door in order to connect the originally segregated black and white parts of the station.