Quitman Depot (Mississippi) Explained

Quitman Depot (Mississippi)
Location:100 South Railroad Avenue
Quitman, Mississippi
Coordinates:32.0397°N -88.7303°W
Designated Other1 Name:Mississippi Landmark
Designated Other1 Link:Mississippi Landmark
Designated Other1 Abbr:USMS
Designated Other1 Color:
  1. B3A1D7
Designated Other1 Number:023-QTM-0192-NR-NRD-ML
Designated Other1 Date:January 10, 1996[1]
Designated Other1 Num Position:bottom
Built:c. 1910
Architecture:Vernacular
Added:May 20, 1994
Area:less than 1acres
Mpsub:[2]
Refnum:94000505

Quitman Depot, also known as GM&O Railroad Depot, is a historic railway station located at 100 South Railroad Avenue in Quitman, Mississippi.[1] The depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 and was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1996.[2] [1]

Description

The Quitman Depot is a one-story, rectangular, wood frame structure, built around 1910.[3] Typical of railway stations in small towns, the depot floor plan included areas for freight, a passenger waiting room, and an office for the railroad agent. The hip roof featured wide, overhanging eaves to shelter passengers and workers on the loading dock. The lower portion of outer walls was covered with board and batten wainscoting, and asbestos shingles covered the upper portion. The south elevation was dominated by a carriage porch, with an entrance door and three, double-hung sash windows on the south wall. The west elevation, facing the railroad, contained an agent's bay, entrance door, double hung sash windows, two freight doors, and loading dock. The loading dock extended across the north elevation and along the east elevation for access to two additional freight doors, then ended at a projecting bay, about mid-length on the east side. The depot's interior featured beaded-board walls and ceilings.[3]

Restoration

By 1970, railroad operation at the depot had ceased.[4] By 1990, the structure had become dilapidated from neglect. Historic Clarke County, Inc. acquired the depot and completed restoration in 1999, using private donations as matching funds to secure a grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation.[5] [6]

The Quitman Depot houses the Clarke County Chamber of Commerce.[7]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/Public/prop.aspx?id=4093&view=facts&y=860 MDAH Historic Resources Inventory Fact Sheet (Quitman Depot)
  2. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/94000505 National Register Digital Assets – Quitman Depot
  3. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b6c358cb-e106-431c-a526-20e46e1fc719/ National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Quitman Depot)
  4. http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w301497/asset_mapping/quitman_2012/history_quitman.html Quitman history
  5. News: Depot Restoration Committee Historic Clarke County . The Clarke County Tribune . October 9, 1997 . April 6, 2017.
  6. Web site: Mississippi Legislature 2008 Regular Session, House Resolution 51 (A resolution recognizing April 5, 2008, as "Helen Ann Beeman Day" in Mississippi, to honor her tireless service to the community) . 2008 . April 6, 2017.
  7. http://www.visitmississippi.org/events-and-points-of-interest/clarke-county-chamber-of-commerce-quitman-depot-23834 Clarke County Chamber of Commerce (Quitman Depot)