Calhoun Depot - Calhoun, Georgia
N 34° 30.108 W 084° 57.176
16S E 687937 N 3819699
The Calhoun Railroad Depot is located adjacent to U. S. Route 41 in downtown Calhoun, Georgia.
Waymark Code: WM3CBG
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 03/14/2008
Views: 71
The Calhoun Depot was in important supply link on the Western Atlantic Railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga during the Civil War. But perhaps the most well know event took place in 1862.
On the morning of April 12, 1862, the locomotive call “The General” was stopped at Big Shanty, which is today known as Kennesaw, Georgia. While the crew and passengers were having breakfast, James Andrews and his Union Raiders (known as Andrews Raiders stole “The General” an headed north toward Chattanooga. The train’s conductor, William Fuller chased the locomotive on foot and by handcar. At Emmerson, Georgia commandeered the “Yonah” and continued his chase of “The General”. At Kingston, Fuller boarded the “William R. Smith,” but was soon met by broken track and he was force to cover the two-miles from Kingston to Adairsville by foot.
At Adairsville, Fuller commandeered the locomotive “Texas” and chased “The General” north toward Chattanooga. With the Texas chasing the General in reverse, the chase went right through Dalton, Georgia, and Tunnel Hill, Georgia.
At milepost 116.3, which is just north of Ringgold Georgia, Andrews Raiders abandoned “The General,” just a few miles from Chattanooga. After “The Great Locomotive Chase,” Andrews and most of his raiders were caught, tried, found guilty and hanged.
Today, “The General” has been restored and is on display at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia. The Locomotive “Texas” is on display at the Atlanta Cyclorama.
Today the Calhoun Depot remains a center to community activity, both as a historic attraction and as a home for railroad and community resources.
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: Yes
Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Western Atlantic
Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]
If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?: Not listed
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