Tennessee Central Depot, Cookeville, TN - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

This depot has a rich history that dates back to 1909. A historic marker brings the building to life:

"A locomotive on the Nashville-Knoxville Railroad first steamed into Cookeville in 1890. The Tennessee Central bought the line in 1902 and built this depot with its distinctive pagoda design in 1909. Soon six trains daily brought visitors, shoppers, and salesmen to town and took natives to distant places. Also, freights loaded with lumber, hogs, corn, and tobacco rolled to faraway markets."

Passenger service continued until 1955, but the trains continued to carry freight until 1968. The building remained vacant until 1975 when the townspeople restored it for use as a museum to preserve its history.

Outside the depot visitors will find a 1913 Baldwin steam engine, a Tennessee Central caboose and an L & N caboose as well as two small maintenance cars. Picnic tables are available in the park-like surroundings.

Street address: 116 W. Broad St. Cookeville, TN USA 38501 County / Borough / Parish: Putnam Year listed: 1985 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Transportation; Architecture Periods of significance: 1900-1924; 1925-1949 Historic function: Rail-related Current function: Museum (new function) Privately owned?: no Hours of operation: From: 10:00 AM To: 4:00 AM Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] National Historic Landmark Link: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   11/21/2020 ggmorton visited it