In his 1983 MTSU thesis Historic Railroad Depot Architecture in Middle Tennessee (pages 59-60), Michael Ray O'Neal describes the antebellum Franklin Depot:

The only surviving example of antebellum railroad architecture in Middle Tennessee is located in Franklin (Williamson County) on South Margin Street.  This depot, which was built by the Tennessee and Alabama Railroad (later the Nashville and Decatur) in the late 1850s, was reportedly used as a hospital following the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.  Unlike some of the other early depots, which were rather crude affairs, this building was constructed with some attention given to detail.  The exterior walls display large recessed "panels"--three on the end walls and seven along the side--while relieving arches are located over the doors and windows.  Like the Pulaski depot, the building at Franklin was designed to be a freight storage area, with only a small office area located on the north end.  Following the Civil War, the Louisville and Nashville built a small frame depot which served as a passenger station about one hundred yards north of the old depot in Franklin which was torn down in the early 1900s.  The original depot at Franklin served as a freight office until recently; it is now used as a feed supply store.

   Return to Surviving Buildings

Last update: April 27, 2000