Historic Railpark and Train Museum (Bowling Green, Kentucky)

Last updated
Bowling Green, KY
inter-city rail station
L&N Bowling Green.jpg
The historic Louisville and Nashville Railroad station in 2008
General information
Location401 Kentucky Street, Bowling Green, Kentucky
USA
Coordinates 37°0′0″N86°26′17″W / 37.00000°N 86.43806°W / 37.00000; -86.43806
History
Opened1925
Closed1979
Former services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Nashville
toward St. Petersburg or Miami
Floridian Louisville
toward Chicago
Preceding station Louisville and Nashville Railroad Following station
Rich Pond
toward New Orleans
Main Line Bristow
toward Cincinnati
Memphis Junction
toward Memphis
Memphis – Bowling Green Terminus
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Station
Architectural styleLate 19th And 20th Century Colonial Revival
MPS Warren County MRA
NRHP reference No. 79003519 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 18, 1979

The Historic Railpark and Train Museum, formerly the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is located in the historic railroad station. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1979. Opened in 1925, the standing depot is the third Louisville & Nashville Railroad depot that served Bowling Green.

Contents

History

The first Bowling Green railroad depot was built in 1858 prior to the L&N's rails reaching Bowling Green. The rail line from Nashville reached Bowling Green on August 10, 1859. The line between Louisville and Nashville was complete on October 18, 1859, and was celebrated by 10,000 Nashvillians. [2]

During the Civil War, the young L&N found itself to be a point of contention between the North and South. Kentucky was integral to the war and President Lincoln summed up the situation in this manner: "I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game". Bowling Green was critical to both sides with its proximity to the Confederate state of Tennessee. The L&N branched just south of Bowling Green with routes to Clarksville, TN, and the line to Memphis, TN, opening the path to the Western war plans. By 1863 the L&N was the only railroad to cross both Union and Confederate Territories. The actions of L&N President James Gutherie resulted in a contentious relationship with the U.S. War Department, after the Battle of Perryville sealed Kentucky's alliance, but saved the L&N's future. [3]

When the Confederates were forced to retreat from the city in February 1862, they burned downtown and all the supplies they could not carry, as well as the depot and trains. The Union troops occupying the city set about building a new depot. It was a wooden building and served the railroad and people of Bowling Green into the 20th century.

In 1878 malaria broke out from New Orleans to Memphis, Tennessee. Residents of Memphis wishing to escape the epidemic boarded the L&N trains, but residents from other towns refused to let them leave the train at their towns. Bowling Green's station was the first place they could leave the train, but enormous bonfires were built in order to deter infection. The evacuation of Memphis lasted a few days, until Memphis was quarantined. [4]

By the 1880s, the depot was becoming too small to adequately serve all those who used it, and was in dire need of repair. However, the president of the L&N, Milton H. Smith refused to build a new station in Bowling Green after the citizens chartered a competing railroad, the Bowling Green & Ohio, that was to run east to Scottsville and connect with the Chattnooga & Ohio out of Gallatin, TN. In retaliation, Milton Smith moved the railroad operations to Paris, TN, causing economic hardships for Bowling Green. Milton Smith died in 1921 and the current depot was opened with much fanfare October 2, 1925. It was constructed of limestone from the former White Stone Quarry located in southern Warren County, KY.

The L&N Railroad signed an exclusive contract with a taxicab company to pick up riders at the station so a rival company sued claiming an illegal monopoly in 1928. In Black and White Taxicab and Transfer Company v. Brown and Yellow Taxicab and Transfer Company , the United States Supreme Court upheld the contract. [5]

By the early 20th century, local agricultural goods, such as strawberries and tobacco, were shipped from Bowling Green's depot, as well as locally mined building stone and oil. This made Bowling Green's L&N station the largest employment center in Warren County. [6] During the 1930s and 1940s, the Bowling Green station was a stop for over 30 passenger trains, plus freight trains, on a daily basis. The L&N and other railroads operated the South Wind, which made a stop in Bowling Green.

Major named trains making stops at the station

Decline

With the signing the Transportation Act in 1957 to create a national interstate road system and the burgeoning popularity of air travel, passenger service began to decline in the 1960s. Amtrak took over intercity rail service in 1971, and cut back service to a single train, the Chicago-Miami/St. Petersburg Floridian. [7] and the last passenger train left the depot on October 6, 1979. [6] [8]

Preservation

Left abandoned for many years and ownership passing through the hand of several private owners, the depot was saved from the wrecking ball by a group of concerned citizens. They transferred ownership to Warren Fiscal Court and the City of Bowling Green in 1997. Funding for renovations was acquired through the federal Transportation Enhancement program. The Depot Development Authority (DDA) was organized by the local government to oversee the twelve year, five phase, renovation process. Daily operations were under the oversight of Operation P.R.I.D.E., Bowling Green's beautification organization.

In 1999, the Bowling Green Public Library (now the Warren County Public Library) opened Kentucky's first Digital Library in the former train platform area. In 2002, the newly formed Historic Rail Committee located its first railcar on display tracks behind the depot. In 2007, the library relocated its services, Operation P.R.I.D.E. joined the City offices, and the Friends of L&N Depot (formerly the Historic Rail Committee) opened its museum and retail operations.

The Friends of L&N Depot, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization, manages the building operations through an agreement with the Warren Fiscal Court and City of Bowling Green, KY. The DDA was dissolved in 2008 having completed their assigned task of depot restoration.

Museum

The L&N depot currently serves as the home for The Historic Railpark and Train Museum, with a two-story museum in the old colored waiting room, and special events venue space in the original white waiting room. Museum docents provide behind the scenes guided tours of the railcars, including several very rare railroad equipment. Current vintage cars on site include:

The museum is home to the award-winning sHOw Modular Model Railroad Club permanent model railroad exhibit. It also hosts the two-day "Festival of Trains" in first weekend in December. [9]

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Warren County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,554, making it the fifth-most populous county in Kentucky. The county seat is Bowling Green. Warren County is now classified as a wet county after voters approved the measure in 2018. The measure became law in January 2019 that allows alcohol to be sold county wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowling Green, Kentucky</span> City in Kentucky, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Louisville)</span> Railroad station in Louisville, Kentucky

The Union Station of Louisville, Kentucky is a historic railroad station that serves as offices for the Transit Authority of River City (TARC), as it has since mid-April 1980 after receiving a year-long restoration costing approximately $2 million. It was one of at least five union stations in Kentucky, amongst others located in Lexington, Covington, Paducah and Owensboro. It was one of three stations serving Louisville, the others being Central Station and Southern Railway Station. It superseded previous, smaller, railroad depots located in Louisville, most notably one located at Tenth and Maple in 1868–1869, and another L&N station built in 1858. The station was formally opened on September 7, 1891, by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. There was a claim made at the time that it was the largest railroad station in the Southern United States, covering forty acres. The other major station in Louisville was Central Station, serving the Baltimore and Ohio, the Illinois Central and other railroads.

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References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ↑ Klein, Maury. "History of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad". (University Press of Kentucky, 2002) p.16
  3. ↑ Lee, Dan. "The L&N Railroad in the Civil War". (McFarland and Company, Inc, 2010)
  4. ↑ Klein 151
  5. ↑ "BLACK & WHITE TAXICAB & TRANSFER CO. V. BROWN & YELLOW TAXICAB & TRANSFER CO".
  6. 1 2 "Rails". Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  7. ↑ Amtrak system timetables; February 15, 1976 (Museum of Railway Timetables)
  8. ↑ "Railcar History - The Historic Railpark and Train Museum at the L&N Depot - Railcar History". Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  9. ↑ "Schedule of Events". Historic Railpark & Train Museum. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
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