Good Ole Days at Whiteville Depot
Transcription
Good Ole Days at Whiteville Depot
Good Ole Days at Whiteville Depot The Town of Whiteville was founded in the early 1800’s as a trading post and was incorporated in 1901. The town is located in the northwest corner of Hardeman County between Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee. Whiteville is the smallest town between Memphis and Bruceton via Jackson. The Tennessee Midland Railroad built a new railroad through this town in the 1890’s. Later the railroad was acquired by Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. During the 1910’s the population of Whiteville was 741. Then in the 1950’s it increased to 794. Today it is more than 3,200. The Whiteville depot was on Main Street (U.S. Highway 64) at TN Secondary 15. It may have been built near the 1900’s. I discovered the Cordova depot east of Memphis in Shelby County was built in 1895. The Whiteville depot floor plan was the same as Cordova with exactly 1,216 square feet heated space. It is a “mirrored” plan with the red and green train signal pole which was later changed to a semaphore signal. Upper left: During the early 1900’s over 300 people listened to a special speaker. I am not sure who this person was. The ladies and gentlemen rode on their horses and wagons to attend. In the foreground the listeners stood on a railroad wagon that appears to be decorated possibly for a parade. In the background is the railway hotel as mentioned by my mother in another story (see NCPS newsletter page 14 issued November 2007). Middle left: A few people enjoy the fresh air as they wait for the NC&STL train in the early 1900’s. Two “wagon” looking carts for luggage & packages are ready to be loaded when the train arrives. The depot agent, Ollie Henry Priddy, Sr. worked here. When he retired, Wilburn Darnell took his place. Left: My mother’s aunt, Annie Laura Pepper showed off as she climbed on the ladder of the signal pole while waiting for the train.. In this 1920’s photo the schedule board can be seen as well as the luggage carts. The building farther east is the Whiteville bank. It is no longer standing. It was destroyed by fire some years ago. 1 Left: Here the train is traveling west, heading for the Whiteville Depot. There is a wigwag signal next to the NC&STL Pacific engine Class K, circa 1930. The pedestrians are waiting for the train to pass. In the foreground is a shadow of the depot with signal pole. Whiteville’s railroad facilities also included two spur tracks that went to a stock pen and cotton gin. A wooden water tank with white-top with brown bottom is west of the depot. The approximate mile long siding track allowed a maximum 80 freight cars to park on the bypass. It is nearly the longest siding in the south half of the Paducah & Memphis Division. The line ran about 12 trains per day (4 passenger trains, 6 mixed freight trains and 2 local trains), maybe up to 80 cars per train. Most of the freight trains were short and averaged about 35 cars. Passenger trains traveled at a speed of 60 mph, mixed freight trains up to 50 mph and military trains up to 40 mph on the main line. Middle left: In the 1940’s a passenger train is stopped at the station. The man at the right is loading and unloading the mail packages with a dolly. Lower left: Note the “Southern Express Company” dark-color sign under the “Whiteville” station sign. This is the name of the delivery company. Each depot on this line might have had a SEC sign. Many of the pictures included in this article were provided by my friend, Charles G. Blanton. He has lived his entire life in Whiteville except for a period of time when he was serving in the Korean War. Charles is one of those rail fans that took many pictures of the trains and different places around Whiteville. One time he was brave enough to climb to the top of the public water tower and take some pictures, a “birds eye” view. I asked him, “Have you ever taken a picture of the aerial view of Whiteville Depot?” He had not. I think if he had, then that would be his best picture of all. I wish there were other rail fans in the bigger towns, like Somerville & Lexington who might have pictures of the NC&STL trains. Maybe there are some that I don’t know about. I would like very much to communicate with anyone interested in the old train era. 2 I found the above postal card in my mother’s memory book. It shows the depot standing at the west end of main street in downtown Whiteville about 1955. The depot was demolished and the main line pulled up in 1968. It is a shame that the depot was torn down. It might have become an ice cream store, restaurant or local government office. Today the Post Office building has taken the depot’s place. Everywhere is quieter than the in past. In my mind I always think it was a beautiful day while NC&STL train was active. I wish it was there today. Eric C. Fleet NC&STL Railway Exploration http://ericfleet.ncstl.com [email protected] August 2008 10