Palmetto's Railroad Depot Museum

By the time I was aware of the Atlanta and West Point Railroad depot buildings they were all but abandoned since the railroad no longer used them by the mid-1960s.

Red Oak's depot was moved to another location. I'm sure the depot in College Park was used for something, but I can't remember. I do remember a law firm making their home in Fairburn's depot (it's still there), and the city of Palmetto used their depot for city offices including the police department.

The other day as I was heading through Palmetto I noticed they had opened a museum in their depot.

I decided to take a few minutes and stop. I'm glad I did. The docent and I had a lovely time sharing history.

Palmetto's depot was built somewhere between 1914 and 1917 with plenty of room for freight on one side of the building and passengers on the other. At the time the depot was built, the rails through Palmetto didn't set up as high as they do now. In fact, they dipped down to the point that sometimes the train would get stuck and an engine would be dispatched to come behind the train to "push" it along. The passengers would disembark and then have to come through a small tunnel underneath the depot and climb the steps to reach the passenger waiting room.

Once the depot was no longer needed for rail travel the city managed to rent it from CSX Railroad for $100 a year. The sweet deal came to fruition because a former mayor was a CSX employee.

When the city moved out the building sat, and like so many older beauties, it began to decay. Many thought it just needed to be torn down. After all...the roof had holes in it, and there was an asbestos issue.

Thankfully, in the year 2000 the railroad sold the depot to the city for $14,000. Once the deed was in the city's name, a group of historically minded citizens applied for a couple of grants. One in particular was a Georgia Transportation grant for $1.2 million dollars with an 80/20 split. The city would have to contribute 20 percent of the money used to restore the depot, but the majority of funds would be given. A second grant was obtained for $200,000.

Eighteen months later and just one year ago, a ribbon cutting celebration was given, and there was quite a bit to show off.

 

The restored depot houses a conference room at one end and space for special events on the other end. The special events section of the depot has the original depot flooring including the original freight scale embedded in the floor.

 

  

You can see the depot agent's office, the original ticket window and all the doors and windows are original to the property. There is also a train-side deck/patio.

Of course, for some folks the word "train" in the official name of the museum is confusing since the focus is Palmetto's history and NOT trains. There are no trains featured in the historical exhibits, but they DO cover Palmetto's history with new things being added all the time.

The museum is in the middle section of the depot with the brick walls lined with vintage furniture, objects, clothing and other memorabilia.

 

The museum also owns a vast collection of historic photographs.

A couple of penny-farthing bikes donated by former Palmetto mayor, Robert Steed are on display. A penny-farthing bike gets its name from the high wheel/small wheel that resembles a British penny next to a farthing.

Take some time and learn some local history. The Palmetto Train Depot Museum located at 549 Main Street (Highway 29/Roosevelt Highway) is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. with free admission.

Visit Georgia on my Mind's Facebook page here to see more of my pictures from my visit to the museum.

You can see pictures from Palmetto's official grand opening here....

Bartow County's History Museum

Did you know Bartow County has a history museum? 

The location of the museum is historic all by itself since it’s located in Bartow County’s 1869 courthouse.

The museum's  website states, “The Bartow History Museum focuses on the settlement and development of Bartow County, Georgia, beginning with the early nineteenth century, when the Cherokee still inhabited the area. Early European settler life, the iron ore and bauxite industries, Civil War strife, post-war recovery, the Great Depression era, early textile industry, and notable figures are depicted through interactive exhibits in the permanent gallery space.”

This Saturday, June 9^th  the museum is hosting a bus tour that will trace the route of the Great Locomotive Chase through Bartow County on April 12, 1862 with author and historian Joe Head.   They will be stopping at Emerson, Allatoona Pass, Cooper’s Furnace, Cartersville, Kingston and Adairsville.

Tickets are limited, so you would need to call as soon as possible.  Included in your ticket is bus transportation, lunch, admissions to museums and historic sites on the route and other special treats.    Tickets are $35 each for members and $40 for what they refer to as “not-yet” members.

Other things to do in Cartersville:

Tellus Science Museum

Rose Lawn Museum

Booth Western Art Museum

Etowah Indian Mounds

The Grand Theater

If I was going to take a Daytrip: Cartersville

I’m setting a few goals for myself regarding daytrips this summer. Whether I go alone or a family member trails along I’ve decided I need to get out more and see what the countryside has to offer in the way of museums and historical sites, and of course…….I’d share the details of the trip with you.

My perfect day trip means travel time is no more than an hour or 90 minutes, I try to hit no more than three destinations, and a great lunch and/or dinner location has to be included. The hope is to find a great restaurant spot that is NOT a chain-type place.

One of the spots I’m thinking of motoring off to is Cartersville, Georgia in order to visit the Booth Western Art Museum, the largest permanent exhibition space for western art in the country.

Yep, it's in Cartersville…..not Atlanta.

The idea behind the Booth Museum began when a Cartersville decided to share their collection of contemporary western art with the general public. Amazingly, they do so anonymously. The museum isn’t named for the family, but is named for a mentor and someone long admired by the family.

The Booth Museum has been an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution since 2006, is the only museum of its kind in the southeast, and is described as a contemporary western art museum which means the art dates from the late 19th through the 21st Century. Many of the artists are still alive and several visit the museum from time to time for lectures.

While western art does interest me one of the permanent exhibitions really excites me – the Presidential letters exhibit. My toes curl at the thought of viewing actual letters written by the presidents.

The permanent collection at the Booth Museum also includes Civil War art

If you don’t want to tour the museum on your own you can take a Highlights Tour offered daily at 1:30 p.m. Families who arrive with children might want to check out one of the saddlebags filled with activities that go along with the exhibits and help them get the most out of the museum.

The Booth Museum is located in downtown Cartersville. While there make sure you see the earliest outdoor Coca-Cola advertisement (1894), see the Grand Theater, and visit the Bartow History Museum. There are also various spots to have lunch downtown.

The next stop while in Cartersville would be the Tellus Science Museum and Weinman Mineral Museum with over 50 cases of gems, minerals, and gold. The museum also has fossil exhibits, an underwater exhibit featuring giant fish and reptiles native to Georgia, the 9-foot wide jaw of a Megaladon – a shark found in the oceans that was larger than a school bus, and many other things.

Of course, you can’t get anywhere near Cartersville and not visit the Etowah Indian Mounds dating from 1,000 A.D., but plan carefully because the park is only open from Wednesday through Saturday. I’ve written about them before here.

Looking over my list it appears that the day is already full. The Booth recommends two hours and the Tellus states it would take three hours for a proper visit…..add in the Indian Mounds, and it’s a full day.

Hmmm…..this might turn into an overnight at Barnsley Gardens which I’ve always wanted to tour as well….not to mention spend the night.   It's down the road from Cartersville in Adairsville.

Rest a little……have a fantastic dinner at the resort and then on the way home hit up the tour at Roselawn, the home of Sam P. Jones, an evangelist and the gentleman the Ryman Auditorium was built for. No, Jones was not a country music singer. They Ryman Auditorium was first known as Union Gospel Tabernacle.

I’d also like to cross the Euharlee Covered Bridge built in 1886 by Washington King son of bridge builder Horace King…..see my past article here.

Well, I’m off to find my calendar and plan my little overnight trip…….It may take a few days, however, because my days are pretty full. Most certainly, I’ll post the results here as soon as I can.