The city of Kennesaw’s recently updated Historic Kennesaw at the Depot is now open.
Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Recently, staff from the nearby Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History completed a months-long project to update and revitalize the local history exhibit inside the Historic Train Depot that is more than 100 years old, according to a city statement.
Including panels, cases and murals, the displays now explore key topics in the history of the Kennesaw region.
These displays include the indigenous peoples who once occupied the land, the impact of the Civil War, the significance of the railroad, the development of downtown Kennesaw, cultural offerings of the city and the Depot’s history.
Now the Depot’s bay window has a rotating display of upcoming programs and attractions sponsored by the city of Kennesaw which was known as Big Shanty until 1887.
The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) replaced the 1870s depot with the one seen today - although the exact layout varied slightly from the current configuration.
In 1925, the Depot was redesigned by reducing the size of the freight room while expanding and lowering the passenger and office areas.
Until 1968, the Depot remained in operation when passenger service to the area stopped and the city of Kennesaw later purchased the structure.
In the 1990s, the city refurbished the exterior of the Depot.
Then in 2000, the interior was remodeled, including new paint, the complete rebuilding of the wooden platform surrounding the freight section and the addition of an exhibit about local history to what used to be the building’s passenger side.
Information: SouthernMuseum.org, kennesaw-ga.gov/historic-kennesaw-at-the-depot
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