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Text taken from a
brochure distributed by the Ellerslie Volunteer Fire
Department's Depot Restoration Project
The Georgia Midland and
Gulf Railroad Company was incorporated on September
29, 1885 and the name was changed to Georgia Midland
Railroad on March 17, 1886.
In the summer of 1886,
the route was completed through Ellerslie and
Waverly Hall, and it officially opened
December 1, 1886. The railroad brought
increased trade, lower freight rates and easier
travel to the citizens of each community it passed
through.
the Ellerslie Depot
building was constructed in 1891. It has a
brick foundation, a metal shingle roof, and was
painted in the railroad colors of ochre yellow and
green trim. It was described in old records
belonging to the Norfolk Southern Railways, as being
a Type 3 building, with the passenger end being of
irregular size, and the trade end being 10-1/2' x
24' x 18'.
By mid 1894, the national
rail depression hit it's peak. The railway
filed for bankruptcy and operated under receivership
until 1896, when it was sold and reorganized under a
state charter granted in March 1896.
In July 1896, the Georgia
Midland Railroad was acquired by the Southern
Railway Company, which began operation in 1895 and
was part of the J.P. Morgan railroad empire.
Old public timetables
show that Ellerslie was a stopping point from the
opening of the railroad, but in 1901 Ellerslie
became a flag stop, meaning the trains would only
stop if signaled to do so.
In the late 1800's and
early 1900's, Mr. C.O. Taylor, originally from
Manchester, Georgia, was the depot agent, followed
by Mr. Harry Greer, who lived in the community of
Ellerslie.
The depot agent was the
only local employee, acting as ticket agent, freight
agent and telegraph operator. During this time
mail was being picked up and dropped off at
Ellerslie on a daily basis.
Southern Railway retired
the depot from active use, replacing it with a
10' x 12' waiting both and a 12' x 18' x 10'
freight room. In September 1946, the residents
of Ellerslie learned that the railroad would be
disposing of the Depot only 55 years after it's
construction.
Members of the Ellerslie
Methodist Church and the Bethesda Baptist Church
formed a committee of local residents to go to
Atlanta and purchase the Depot from Southern
Railways. Funds were raised through individual
contributions from the community and the building
was purchased for $500.
Local storeowner, Charles
Tidwell, deeded a piece of property to the Community
of Ellerslie. The property, bounded on the North by
the Southern Railway Right-of-way, was to become the
new home for the Depot, only requiring that the
building be move about 100 feet off of railroad
property.
Between 1946 and 1950,
the sliding freight doors were removed and replaced
wit three windows on one side of the building and a
door and a door and a window on the other
side. The exterior was covered with siding and
the interior sealed with beaded board paneling in
order to make the building more functional as a
community center.
Since that time, it has
been in continuous use as the only communal building
in Ellerslie, Used for election polling, community
meetings and activities, it's also available by
reservation for private use by any Ellerslie
resident. To the best of our knowledge, this
building is the last existing depot build by the
original Georgia Midland Railroad Company.
Click here info
on the Depot Restoration Project
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