One of the landmarks in Downtown Crossville is the Depot. In addition to a gift shop and a delightful meeting room and deck, the Crossville Depot has a caboose museum, with free admission!
The railroad tracks to Crossville were built in 1900 and the first train of the Tennessee Central arrived in September of that year. The building of the Crossville Depot was not complete, so a boxcar served as the station until the main building was built. For years, the Depot was described as “the happening spot” for the many trains and people making Crossville a highly successful town exporting rock and timber, rich in goods, and increasing number of visitors and travelers.
In 1925, on Valentine’s Day, the original Crossville Depot burned down. The community was quick to re-build it across the tracks from where it first stood. The new Crossville Depot building at its current location was finished in May of the following year.
Over the years the Depot was the arrival-and-departure happening spot for both ordinary and famous people. Three of the famous people were Dr. May Cravath Wharton (the Doctor Woman of the Cumberland’s, founder of Cumberland General Hospital and Uplands Village in Pleasant Hill and of Cumberland Medical Center), Alvin C. York (World War I Metal of Honor), and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (to visit the Cumberland Homesteads).
In the early 1980s, for various economic and social reasons, the railroad stopped running and the Crossville tracks were removed. The Depot, then owned by the state, was not maintained for many years and fell into ruin. In 1996, the local community began a renovation project with the three Rotary Clubs of Cumberland County and many others of the community. The state government turned the Depot over to the City of Crossville, who leased it to the Rotary Foundation to manage the Depot as a “community service project” for several years.
The City of Crossville City Council now operates the Depot. It functions as a mini-welcome center and gift shop featuring locally-made and Tennessee products. The meeting room is scheduled for many community and private events. The Caboose, which was renovated by volunteers of Downtown Crossville Inc., is open during Depot hours for the public to enjoy, with free admission.
The Depot is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., as well as for special events. Reservations for the Meeting Room can be made online at www.crossvilleleisureservices.com.
For the most up-to-date hours and information, please contact Crossville Depot directly.
