L&N Depot
Sep 10, 2023, 10:30 PM
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Standing here at the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Depot, you see what little remains of a small railroad with a long history.
This small freight depot, along with an old boxcar and caboose on this short section of track, are all that is left of a railroad whose history began in the mid-1800s.
The idea of building a railroad from Atlanta north into North Carolina was conceived around 1850. Delayed by the Civil War, construction finally began in 1874, with the line reaching Murphy in 1891.
Around that same time, rail lines from the east arrived, connecting Murphy to Asheville and beyond. Connecting the two lines in Murphy, however, took a bit longer. Due to a legal dispute over right-of-way ownership for crossing the Hiwassee River, the connecting bridge was not built until 1901—ten years later.
For nearly half a century, trains rolled through town.
But as local highways improved and cars and trucks became more convenient, rail travel lost its profitability. Passenger service through the area ended in 1948. Freight service lasted a little longer, but by the late 1980s, when local textile industries moved overseas, freight service also ended.
With no active rail service, the track from Murphy south to Mineral Bluff was removed, and the bridge over the Hiwassee River was dismantled.
In 1985, the North Carolina Department of Transportation purchased the remaining rail line from Murphy to Dillsboro. Much of that track is now leased to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad for tourist train excursions, though even those no longer reach Murphy. The last train departed this station on July 4, 1992.
There is still hope that one day the trains will return. Perhaps one of the great steam engines will roll back into town and help us relive the glory days of the railroad era.
For more information on the railroad history of Murphy, stop by the Cherokee County Historical Museum, located in downtown Murphy.
This small freight depot, along with an old boxcar and caboose on this short section of track, are all that is left of a railroad whose history began in the mid-1800s.
The idea of building a railroad from Atlanta north into North Carolina was conceived around 1850. Delayed by the Civil War, construction finally began in 1874, with the line reaching Murphy in 1891.
Around that same time, rail lines from the east arrived, connecting Murphy to Asheville and beyond. Connecting the two lines in Murphy, however, took a bit longer. Due to a legal dispute over right-of-way ownership for crossing the Hiwassee River, the connecting bridge was not built until 1901—ten years later.
For nearly half a century, trains rolled through town.
But as local highways improved and cars and trucks became more convenient, rail travel lost its profitability. Passenger service through the area ended in 1948. Freight service lasted a little longer, but by the late 1980s, when local textile industries moved overseas, freight service also ended.
With no active rail service, the track from Murphy south to Mineral Bluff was removed, and the bridge over the Hiwassee River was dismantled.
In 1985, the North Carolina Department of Transportation purchased the remaining rail line from Murphy to Dillsboro. Much of that track is now leased to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad for tourist train excursions, though even those no longer reach Murphy. The last train departed this station on July 4, 1992.
There is still hope that one day the trains will return. Perhaps one of the great steam engines will roll back into town and help us relive the glory days of the railroad era.
For more information on the railroad history of Murphy, stop by the Cherokee County Historical Museum, located in downtown Murphy.