Cleveland in Bolivar County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

The Cleveland Depot

Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 17, 2015

1. The Cleveland Depot Marker

Inscription. Four railroad depots have operated here since Cleveland was incorporated in 1886. The first depot—two Yazoo & Mississippi Valley RR cars tied together and parked on a side track—disappeared when a prankster hooked it to an outgoing train. A temporary depot was used until 1896 when a larger, wooden building was constructed. This depot burned in 1914 but was replaced the following year by the Illinois Central Railroad. The present structure, renovated in 2003, incorporates a portion of the 1915 depot.

Erected 2005 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Believe It or Not, and the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.

Location. 33° 44.601′ N, 90° 43.326′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Mississippi, in Bolivar County. Marker is at the intersection of South Sharpe Avenue and Shelby Street, on the right when traveling south on South Sharpe Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 South Bayou Avenue, Cleveland MS 38732, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. David R. Bowen (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Enlightenment of W.C. Handy

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(about 700 feet away); Bolivar County Confederate Monument (about 700 feet away); Bolivar County Veterans Memorial (about 800 feet away); Delta Blues Inspires W.C. Handy (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chrisman Street (approx. 0.2 miles away); Gospel Music and the Blues (approx. ¼ mile away); Cleveland (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cleveland.

Also see . . . Abandoned Rails of Cleveland. (Submitted on October 29, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Additional commentary.
1. Cleveland Was an Important Stop on the Y&MV
Cleveland was a significant station stop on the rail line from Memphis to New Orleans via Vicksburg. The December 1925 timetable in The Official Guide of the Railways shows Cleveland in bold type. All passenger trains on the line stopped in Cleveland. A morning passenger train to Memphis, Train No. 30, originated there and an evening train from Memphis, No. 39, terminated at Cleveland.

Without good roads, trains were the only fast and reliable way

The Cleveland Depot image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 17, 2015

2. The Cleveland Depot

to travel in 1925 and railroads like the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley (a subsidiary of the Illinois Central Railroad) provided frequent service for both coach and first-class passengers. Dining cars and parlor cars are indicated on the 1925 schedule for many of the trains stopping at Cleveland, as are porter-staffed sleeping cars with private rooms by day and beds by night for first class passengers. Memphis was about 4 hours away by train, as was Vicksburg. Baton Rouge, Louisiana was about 8 hours away and New Orleans was a little more than 11 hours away overnight.

Twelve trains are listed on the 1925 schedule. First up is the overnight northbound train to Memphis from New Orleans via Vicksburg that stops in Cleveland at 3:00 AM. Next at 4:55 AM is a northbound local (a coach-only train that stops at all stations) to Memphis, followed by another local at 6:45 AM southbound to Greenville. A few minutes earlier, at 6:35 AM the southbound overnight train from Memphis to the next station south, Boyle, stopped here.

Then at 1 minute past noon, it’s the northbound day train to Memphis, followed at 1:10 PM by the southbound day train from Memphis to Baton Rouge via Vicksburg and Natchez. At 2:15 PM it’s the southbound Clarksdale to Vicksburg train, with the northbound train from Vicksburg to Clarksdale arriving at 3:20 PM. At 4:05 PM it’s the northbound from Baton Rouge

The Cleveland Depot and Illinois Central caboose. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 17, 2015

3. The Cleveland Depot and Illinois Central caboose.

The 1941 caboose was built in Centralia, Illinois for the Illinois Central Railroad. Original features include the offset cupola, sliding wooden doors, cast iron stove, water fountain, gauges, and brake controls.

to Memphis, followed at 4:55 PM by the arrival of the northbound from Greenville that terminates here. Then in the evening it’s the arrival of the afternoon local from Memphis that also terminates here. The final train of the day is the overnight from Memphis to New Orleans via Vicksburg at 8:20 PM.

At New Orleans and at Memphis, passengers could change to other railroad lines to carry them to most any other place in the country: small towns on other lines, or to big cities far away like New York, Washington, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Trains back then could take you all the way to Mexico City or to Toronto and other points in Canada, with and immigration and customs agents checking your papers on board while the train rolled into their country. Note To Editor only visible by Contributor and editor

— Submitted October 25, 2015, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 873 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 24, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.