Despite
the fact that we were headed home after our little trip to Roanoke Virginia, I
had plenty of depots and historic sites that I wanted to check out along our
route back home.
This is
one end of the old 1868 Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Combination Depot in
Christiansburg Virginia. When a new
depot was built in the early 20th century, this depot became the
freight depot for the town. Looks like
someone was setting up a flower bed or small garden…
Built
in the 1850s, the Virginia and Tennessee ran through southwestern Virginia. It extended westward from Lynchburg, through
a gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the town of Big Lick (the present-day city
of Roanoke). From that point it turned
southwestward and followed the Great Valley to Bristol, a total distance of 204
miles. Through a series of mergers, the
railroad became part of the Norfolk and Western system. Today, much of the former Virginia and
Tennessee Railroad remains in service for Norfolk and Western’s successor, Norfolk
Southern.
This is
the handsome reverse end of the Virginia and Tennessee Depot. Currently, this 148 year old depot serves as
the home of Whistlestop Books and the Cambria Toy Station. It used to house a museum where the book
store is now… FYI, this is one of the few remaining wooden Railroad Italianate
depots left in the United States. This
classic depot was almost torn down. Learn
more at http://www.historiccambria.com/Depot.htm.
The
Virginia and Tennessee Railroad played a major role in the Civil War. It was a key route for the movement of supplies,
food and troops for the Confederate Army, particularly from the capital of
Richmond to the interior at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Included in the vital transportation services
provided by the railroad was the movement of raw materials from the copper
mines near Cleveland Tennessee; the lead mines near Bristol; the salt works at
Saltville Virginia and saltpeter caves throughout the region. Union forces finally captured much of the
railroad and destroyed tracks and rolling stock in late 1864.
This is
the old freight platform that extends from next to the lower end of the
Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Depot.
Take
note of the building in the distance down the tracks…
This large
old 3 story brick building sits right across the street from the main entrance
to the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Depot.
The Cambria
Emporium is located in the Surface-Lee Building, the remaining building left
from the Surface Block, which was built in 1908. The Surface Lee Block was built as a
wholesale grocery business on the railroad to bring produce to Cambria. FYI, Cambria was originally an independent
town next to Christiansburg. See
Of
interest is the fact that the elevator in this building was purchased second
hand from a company in Roanoke when the Surface-Lee Building was constructed in
1908. As such, it is actually 30 years
older than the building! According to
Southern Elevator, it is the oldest elevator still in operation in the State of
Virginia…136 years old and still functioning!
This is
the building you could see on down the tracks from that old 1868 Virginia and
Tennessee Depot. This is the ‘new’
passenger depot that was built by Norfolk and Western Railroad in 1907. It’s only 109 years old!
This
depot was built on top of a small spring fed pond, leading to ongoing storm
water problems in town and, as I mentioned before, the old depot was converted
to a freight station as well as a railroad office for maintenance of ways and engineering. It should be noted that this new station was
built, not because there was a need for a new passenger station per se, but
because of the political, social, and cultural demands for segregation. The old depot, one of only a couple of
pre-segregation depots left in Virginia, could not be segregated because of the
configuration of the waiting rooms.
The
Oaks is a historic home that’s located at Christiansburg. This large Queen Anne style frame house was
built in 1893. Love that big wraparound
porch and the tower. You can’t see them
in this photo, but this house has 4 brick chimneys.
The inn
was built in the late 1800s by Major W.L. Pierce for his bride Julia. Seven of
their 8 children were born here. William
Pierce passed on in 1949 but his wife Julia lived in the house until her death
at the age of 99.
The
Oaks is now a well-known bed and breakfast.
It’s been featured in more than 2-dozen magazine articles and on the TV
series “Inn Country USA”. The Oaks
Victorian Inn has also been selected for the cover of 3 books, including the
travel guide to inns that was published by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation. To learn more, you can go
to http://www.theoaksvictorianinn.com/.
I’ll
end this tour with a ‘modern’ structure.
This is the US Post Office in Christiansburg Virginia. It was designed and built in 1936. The one-story, five-bay, brick building is in
the Colonial Revival style. It has a
nice classic look. Of note is the fact
that the interior features a Depression era Works Progress Administration (WPA)
sponsored mural by Paul DeTroot. That
mural depicts local events from the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary
War.
United
States post office murals were produced in the United States from 1934 to 1943. The principal objective was to secure artwork
that met high artistic standards for public buildings, where it was accessible
to all people. The murals were intended
to boost the morale of the American people suffering from the effects of the
Depression by depicting uplifting subjects the people knew and loved. For a list of US Post Offices that feature or
used to feature these murals throughout the USA, you can go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_post_office_murals.
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a short historical tour!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
Another great tour of VA! It is a beautiful state, isn't it??
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