Amherst in Amherst County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Amherst Depot
The first depot in Amherst (then known as Dearborn) was built in the late 1800s for the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. This depot would be replaced in November 1913 by the Southern Railway when it took over the O&A and expanded its operation in Amherst County. Southern Railway contracted with Pettyjohn Company in nearby Lynchburg to construct a new passenger station costing $4,712. The depot's construction of longleaf pine siding and a red tile roof was the typical architectural style of the early railroad stations. A ticket booth extended outward from the center facing the tracks with waiting rooms on each side—one for black folks and the other for white folks. A freight depot was located across Depot Street.
In the 1920s renovation were made, converting the south waiting room into a freight depot and changing exterior colors as shown on the postcard image to the left.
Until the 1940s three passenger trains stopped at this depot each day. Passenger service would end in the 1960s. Freight pick-up and drop-off ended in the mid-1970s. In 1985 the depot passed into the private ownership of Marshall Mays, owner of Mays Farmers Service Co. In the spring of 1995 Mr. Mays offered the depot to the Amherst Chamber of Commerce as well as this .62-acre lot it now rests upon, approximately one quarter mile from its original
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Orange and Alexandria Railroad series list. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1913.
Location. 37° 34.805′ N, 79° 2.792′ W. Marker is in Amherst, Virginia, in Amherst County. Marker is on South Amherst Highway (U.S. 29) just south of Richmond Highway (U.S. 60), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 328 Richmond Hwy, Amherst VA 24521, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Amherst County Confederate Soldiers Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); POW-MIA Memorial (approx. half a mile away); World War II Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Vietnam Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Beirut-Lebanon (approx. half a mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. half a mile away); World War I Memorial (approx. half a mile away); The Courage of Frank Padget (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amherst.
Additional commentary.
1. Passenger train schedule
The Amherst Depot was on Southern Railways’
At 7:22 AM the first train of the day, train No. 19, the southbound local from Charlottesville stopped here at Amherst. Locals were trains that stopped at all stations. Locals had the lowest priority and pulled off into sidings to let express trains pass them. This local had left Charlottesville at 5:35 AM and was scheduled to arrive in Charlotte, North Carolina at 4:40 PM.
At 9:10 AM train No. 10, the northbound local from Danville to Charlottesville, made it’s stop. It had left Danville at 5:30 AM and was scheduled to arrive in Charlottesville 30 minutes after noon.
At 12:45 PM train No. 136, the northbound local from Charlotte to Washington, arrived. It had left Charlotte at 4:30 AM and would arrive in Washington at 7:06 PM.
At 1:10 PM, train No. 135, the southbound unnamed express from Washington to Atlanta, arrived. It had left Washington at 8:20 AM and was scheduled to arrive In Charlotte at 8:15 PM and in Atlanta at 5:25 AM the following day. This train had a dining car and a sleeping car in addition to coach cars. Sleeping car passengers could continue to occupy their berth until 7:30 AM.
At 4:10 PM train No. 9, the southbound local from Washington, arrived. It had left Washington at 9:05 AM and was scheduled to arrive in Danville, Virginia, at 7:45 PM
At 5:01 PM train No. 36, the northbound unnamed express from Atlanta to Washington, arrived. It has left Atlanta at 7:40 PM the previous night and Charlotte at 9:50 AM and was scheduled to arrive Washington at 9:55 PM. This train had a dining car and a sleeping car in addition to coach cars.
At 8:15 PM train No. 20, the northbound local from Danville to Charlottesville, stopped here. It had left Danville at 4:55 PM and was scheduled to arrive in Charlottesville at 9:55 PM.
At 8:22 PM train No. 29, the southbound Birmingham Special was the last train of the day. It had left New York at 10:10 AM and Washington DC at 3:35 PM earlier that day. It was scheduled to arrive in Birmingham at 3:30 PM the following day. This train had a dining car, three sleeping cars and an observation car in addition to coach cars. Coach passengers continuing to New York City had to change cars in Washington DC.
The northbound Birmingham Special passed Amherst in the early in the morning and would only stop if there were arriving passengers. It could not be boarded at Amherst.
Named trains that rushed through without stopping in 1925 were the Crescent Limited between New York City and New Orleans; The Piedmont Limited between Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Montgomery; the Augusta Special between New York and Augusta, Georgia; The Washington, Chattanooga and New Orleans Limited; The New York, Washington, Atlanta, New Orleans Express; and the Memphis Special between New York City, Washington, Lynchburg and Memphis Tennessee.
— Submitted May 2, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 370 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
