Written by D.C. Thomas
Clarksville, TN – Under a cloudy sky, city officials, historians, and neighbors snipped a bright red ribbon and swung open the doors of Clarksville’s Louisville & Nashville Railroad Depot on June 16th at 189 South Tenth Street.
“I am one of the historical interpreters for the City of Clarksville, Parks and Recreation… This has been a staple of the Clarksville community for, I mean, 170 years almost. The train came to Clarksville originally, before the Civil War. …This building was actually built around 1881. … There was a passenger depot over off Adams, there was another depot that was built off Depot Street [that’s how it got its name] and this was our final station. … Clarksville would not be the city that it is today without the Cumberland River and the railroad,” Roxanne Jenkins said.
Inside, younger visitors paused over a 3D-printed working model of a railroad bridge over the Cumberland River, engineered and assembled by Austin Peay State University technology students. “I am a professor in the engineering technology department at Austin Peay, and I am also a volunteer with the historic sites of Parks and Recreation,” said John Blake. “It is a very nice day for Clarksville to have the railroad station ribbon cutting so that we can now welcome the public here. … We’re very glad to have you all here today and come visit us.”
Arts & Heritage Council’s Ellen Kanervo said, “Kudos to architect Pam Powell and Clarksville Parks and Rec for such a nice job of renovating the L&N Depot. They were able to devise displays that tell the depot’s story and at the same time to make it an inviting space for Clarksvillians to hold birthday parties, baby showers, anniversary celebrations, etc.”
Montgomery County historian, Carolyn Ferrell, who rode a kindergarten field trip train from the depot in 1959 to Guthrie, reflected on the station’s place in community memory. “Well, I got to tell you that I am old enough to remember the passenger trains that came through here… We are proud… Please tell people to come to visit you, your family, your friends, come in, bring them down here and show them this gemstone, what Clarksville has, because we’re awfully proud of it.”
The Executive Director of the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, Frank Lott, said, “The restoration of the L&N Train Depot is such a important project for our community; it just again underscores how dedicated folks are here to sharing Clarksville’s unique history and this is just another example of one of these projects that really will have a life well beyond its use as a depot but it will still continue to serve the communities here in Clarksville, and the history of the railroading in Clarksville is a very, very important story to tell.”
For more information, history enthusiasts can direct their questions to the Clarksville Parks and Recreation main office at 931.645.7476 or parksrec@cityofclarksville.com
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