HISTORIC ETOWAH TRAIN DEPOT
Established 1895
SW corner of Old Hwy 64 & Etowah School Rd (at present, a utility corridor next to future Ecusta Trail)
Established 1895
SW corner of Old Hwy 64 & Etowah School Rd (at present, a utility corridor next to future Ecusta Trail)
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When was the Depot (Station) building taken down? Sometime between 1965 and 1969, is the best information at present. Confirmation needed.
The Post Office moved out of the station in 1962, according to Lenoir Ray's "Postmarks." Residents who moved to Etowah in 1969 report that the station was not there when they arrived. Would you like to share a story or information about the Etowah Train Station? Please contact the website. Read the story of "How Etowah Got Its Name" |
In 1937 Southern Railway submitted a request to the State Utilities Commission to discontinue freight operations at the Etowah Depot. A 200 signature, citizen petition presented by Bruce Drysdale stopped the request.
The following news article was published on August 28, 1937 in "THE STATE" magazine (now, OUR STATE) A Weekly Survey of North Carolina, p. 20 " The State Utilities Commission has under advisement a request by the Southern Railway for permission to discontinue a freight station at Etowah, half way between Hendersonville and Brevard. Application for the railroad was presented by Superintendent W. F. Cooper of Asheville. It met bitter opposition headed by Bruce Drysdale of the Moland-Drysdale Corporation at Etowah. He presented a petition signed by 200 citizens requesting continuance of the freight service which Etowah has enjoyed since 1895. George A. Gash of Asheville, who said that his father donated land for the station site, declared that removal of the service would retard progress of the community. The request would not affect passenger service at Etowah. " |
Children walking on Etowah School Rd towards Old 64 railroad crossing. See the roof of Etowah Train Station and diamond shaped window ahead on left behind train.
Etowah Train Depot (Station) circa 1920s, between the main line and secondary tracks -
Standing in the doorway is Pearl Gillie Gash, station agent (1916 to 1948) and postmaster (1914 to 1948).
Location of the former Etowah Train Depot, SW corner of Old Hwy 64 & Etowah School Road, next to Chrisman's Garage. Aerial, Henderson County GIS.
The station was originally established in 1895 by the Hendersonville & Brevard Telephone & Telegraph Co. In the picture above, this may be the original building, or perhaps one re-built by Southern Railroad Co. after the railroad company changed hands. The station also housed the Etowah Post office from 1924 to 1962.
Approximate size: 33' wide x 46' long
An estimate of the building footprint was calculated by Ben Bartlett, member of Apple Valley Model Railroad Club. Generally, Southern Railway Co. built their Stations in the same manner. Bartlett based his calculations on measurements of the window, door and freight door at the restored Hendersonville Station, home of the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club.
Paint colors: In the picture above, the Station walls are painted in two colors. The colors are most likely the same as what we see today on the Hendersonville Station, also built by Southern Railway Co. Dark green on the bottom; mustard yellow on top.
Approximate size: 33' wide x 46' long
An estimate of the building footprint was calculated by Ben Bartlett, member of Apple Valley Model Railroad Club. Generally, Southern Railway Co. built their Stations in the same manner. Bartlett based his calculations on measurements of the window, door and freight door at the restored Hendersonville Station, home of the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club.
Paint colors: In the picture above, the Station walls are painted in two colors. The colors are most likely the same as what we see today on the Hendersonville Station, also built by Southern Railway Co. Dark green on the bottom; mustard yellow on top.
Southern Railway Timetable - September 29, 1912. Etowah is one of several stations between Hendersonville, Brevard and the resort at Lake Toxaway. Four passenger trains a day at this time. That changed after the Great Flood of 1916.
Map from, "A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina" by Cary Franklin Poole, 1995, p.69
This photo appears in the 1997 "A History of the United Methodist Church" by Bernice Robertson Thomas. Pictured (?): Joseph Leander Gash (1833-1916), on left. Daughters Mamie, Pearl, Pink, L to R. Photo date unknown.
Look at the building behind the rail car, on the right side of the picture. This appears to be the station with ( ... name ... ) mountain in the background.
1931 - Pearl Gash at Train Station
Pearl Gash, Station Agent and Postmaster, circa 1916 ? The sign above the door "TR 10-1" means: Transylvania Railroad, 10 miles from Hendersonville
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1944 - Pearl Gash at Train Station
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1948 - Pearl at the Station, the year she retired
1948 - Pink (left) and Pearl (right) at Train Station. Pearl retired as station agent on December 31, 1948. The depot then became a "non-agency station," no agent on duty.