Palmetto Train Depot Museum
549 Main Street
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays
770-463-3377
Free admission
It took an extensive, $1.2 million renovation to transform Palmetto’s abandoned train station into a new focal point for the community. The Main Street building, just shy of 100 years old, has been christened the Train Depot Museum and repurposed with conference rooms, a banquet hall, a track-side deck and a museum that recently opened to the public two days a week.
The only thing missing is trains.
“I can’t tell you how many come in here and want to see trains,” said Mayor J. Clark Boddie. “The title is a bit confusing to people. The museum is not about trains; instead, we have a lot of stuff from people and their families.”
The museum’s collection is designed to trace and celebrate the history of the town that is largely in Fulton County but also spills into neighboring Coweta. Donations were made by some of the 5,000 residents who wanted to share their families’ personal artifacts.
The museum takes up the depot’s main room, accented by soaring ceilings and brick walls and pillars. Relics of the past line the walls. Assorted china pieces are tucked into antique cabinets. Vintage clothes, hand-woven baskets and family photos make up other displays. One of the most eye-catching items is a penny-farthing bicycle (the ones with a giant wheel in front) that was a family heirloom of former Mayor Robert Steed, who rode it through town while campaigning in the mid-1950s. A photo of Steed astride the bike hangs on the wall beside it.
City Manager William Shell has a piece of his family’s past on display as well. His father, Homer, was city clerk from 1940 to 1955, and his desk, chair and the old-fashioned Oliver typewriter take up a corner of the room.
“My father used this desk when he was at city hall,” said Shell, 75, who has also served as the city’s clerk and a councilman. “In fact, this chair belonged to the doctor who brought me into the world.”
The building itself is an artifact, having served as the depot for passenger trains until the 1960s. The original grilled ticket window is intact, as are the ceiling beams and wood floors. After the passenger service ended, the city took over the space for offices, and the police, city court and jail were also under the same roof. As the city began to grow in the 1990s, the various departments relocated to larger buildings, leaving the depot standing empty until the renovation was completed.
“It was really run down but we got a DOT grant to repair it,” said Boddie. “But we had to own the building first. So we negotiated a deal with the railroad and purchased it.”
Volunteers now staff the museum two days a week and are also available to give group tours. The museum will also be open today during the Spring Festival that kicks off with a parade at 10 a.m.
Each Saturday, we shine a spotlight on a local neighborhood, city or community. To suggest a place for us to visit, e-mail H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or call 404-514-6162.
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