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Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05
June 21, 2007 issue
Avery County Historical Society on Track to Save Historic Linville Depot
Story by Ron Fitzwater
In the late 1800s rail service began the steady climb into the North Carolina High Country. The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad’s Linville/Tweetsie Railroad subsidiary, moved people, products and tourists even during the depression years.
The footprint left by the narrow-gage railroad is not hard to find. You need only to visit Tweetsie Railroad amusement park to get an idea of the way it was when engine #12, Tweetsie, and her sister engines rumbled and puffed their way up the mountains and down through the gorges.
Much of the railroad’s history has been lost to time. However, the Avery County Historical Society and Museum is taking steps to preserve what is still left. At the museum, housed in the former county jail on the square in Newland, several artifacts, photographs and documents from the ET&WNC railroad company are on display.
Now, the ACHS is poised to add a substantial new item; the state’s last remaining ET&WNC depot, located in Linville, has been offered for donation.
Linville Depot
The 87-year old depot operated year round throughout the 1920s but as the Great Depression took hold, the depot was used less and less, primarily by tourists’ still able to afford a trip into the High Country. In its heyday the depot was the center of activity in the area. It was the point departure for soldiers heading off to war, and the point where the mail arrived.
The depot was closed in 1936 and after the flood of 1940 destroyed the ET&WNC rails, forcing the company to abandon them, its life as a depot ended for good. The structure was operated for several years as a store on its original site and later moved to its current location on Grape Street in Linville and converted into a residence. The owners, Mike and Susan Brown, aware of the historical significance of the structure began the task of restoring it as a depot, “but decided that they could not finish the job,” said Cindy Peters, president, ACHS. The couple contacted the museum to see if they would be interested in the building, offering it to them if they did. The society was indeed interested and is currently working to raise the necessary funds to move the 16 by 54 foot structure to Newland.
ET&WNC Historical Society
The ET&WNC Historical Society has also become involved in the project. During the society’s annual convention in Banner Elk, June 15 to 16, they pledged donations totaling $8,000 to aid in funding the relocation of the building. The ACHS has set the cost for relocation at $12,000. ET&WNC society members toured the depot during their convention and were collectively pleased with the possibility of relocating the building.
Money is not the only resource that the railroad society is lending to the project. Architect and ET&WNC Historical Society member Jim Bower is using his talents to assist in the relocation and oversee the eventual restoration of the structure. “We want to restore it to the way it was when it was operating as a depot,” Bower said, adding “It was the most famous and photographed depot on both the East Tennessee and the Linville River Railroads.” Bower explained that the depot was the one where most of the people coming to the High Country on vacation, and children coming to summer camps arrived. “It is significant as a land mark due to its construction as well. It was unique among all the depots in the area on both railroads, because of the chestnut bark covered siding,” Bower said.
The process of moving and restoring the structure is complicated; two companies have entered into the bidding for the job. One of the companies bidding has moved the structure once before when it was taken to Grape Street. There is not much concern that the building will withstand the move, due to its construction “Most of the framing is true dimensional hard woods and is in very good shape for the move,” Bower said.
Reconstruction will include removing the brick exterior, “that actually protected the depot’s original siding,” according to Bower, and moving the doors and windows back to their original positions. Additionally, an expansion that was added at some time to the trackside of the depot will be removed. The interior will under go extensive reconstruction to remove all traces of past remodeling. “All of the interior framing is intact, if you look around you can see that. We are also going to use some of the brick that is being removed to rebuild the fireplace and chimney where it originally was,” Bowers added.
Future Plans
Future Plans for the depot according to Susan Stewart, of the ACHS is to make the building a significant exhibit and add much needed space to the museum. “Our railroad exhibit will move from its location in the museum into the depot after reconstruction, and hopefully grow. The collection will not fill the building, so we plan to utilize part of it as administrative offices.”
The relocation of the depot to county owned property will take the approval of the county commissioners. Stewart is confident that the approval will come due to preliminary discussions with lawmakers. “We need the final authorization to put it here at the museum. We have gotten great support, verbally, from the county manager and different board members, but we need the official word.”
Stewart said the major effort for both societies currently, is to raise the rest of the relocation funds over the next few weeks. “The family who is donating the depot has expressed the need to have it moved by early August.”
“Donations are currently being sought for the remaining funds,” said Stewart. “Within the next year we will search out grants to help pay for the reconstruction.”
The clock is ticking for the societies. In order to ensure that the depot is moved by early August the moving company must be notified by the first or second week of July, leaving little time left for raising the remaining money.
Stewart is hoping that getting the word out will encourage residents to donate to the unique project. “We only have three weeks to a month to make this happen. We are getting a lot of financial support from the ET&WNC folks but we need community involvement to succeed. This is a wonderful piece of High Country history that we can preserve, but it will take the cooperation of a lot of people to do it,” she said.
County residents and railroad enthusiasts with questions about the project are encouraged to contact the museum at 828-733-7111 or email averymuseum@interlink-cafe.com. Those interested in helping the county historical society in making the addition to the museum a reality are encouraged to make donations payable to The Avery County Historical Society and Museum. Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 266 Newland, NC 28657, mark, attention Sharon Stewart.
For more information on Linville depot and other exhibits at the museum click to www.averymuseum.com.
Read How The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Historical Association Is Keepin The High Country Railroad History Alive - HERE