Amqui Station

Amqui Station was constructed in 1910 as a Lousiville and Nashville (L&N) railroad switching and passenger depot in Madison, Tennessee. The original station was located at the junction of the L&N and the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad (NC&StL) one mile to the north. Locals say “Amqui” was an Indian word meaning “parting of the ways”. Popular lore however, states that “Amqui” was a contraction for “dam- quick!”, which could either be in reference to how long it took to travel from the junction to downtown Nashville or how quickly the train could get going after stopping at the depot. No matter what the origin, Amqui was known as much for its unusual name as it was for its service as a switching station., Amqui Station is a two-story design. The second story once housed the signal operator, and later an electric switching room. Waiting rooms, both White and Colored, were located on the ground floor. Thousands of passengers passed through every year. By the 1970s the depot was dilapidated and on the verge of demolition. Country music legend Johnny Cash purchased and moved the structure to Hendersonville, ten miles northeast of Madison, in 1979. Following Cash's death in 2003, the depot was relocated here, site of the first Madison Station (1860), thanks to the efforts of community leaders and Discover Madison, Inc., a non-profit preservation organization. Today, visitors can once again experience the sights and sounds of passing trains while sitting on the front porch of Amqui Station.