The L & N Railroad Depot

The L and N Railroad Depot. . , There are few buildings more iconic or treasured in Ocean Springs than this Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot. , Constructed over the years 1907-08, the Depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1995. This building replaced an earlier Depot, which was located slightly to the west of this structure. The Depot is the only remaining building of a former railroad complex that included a roundhouse and pumphouse,. Local sources report that three of the area's original mineral springs were located near the Depot. , This Depot is a fine example of a typical small-town station constructed by the L and N Railroad in the early 1900s. Architecturally, this Depot is a treasured example of "twentieth century picturesque eclecticism," according to its National Register description. The railway connection between New Orleans and Mobile began in 1870, but did not peak until the 1880s when railway replaced steamboats as the most popular method of tourist travel. The Depot was a focal point of the town's economic activities, giving prominence to the town as a resort community and as a commercial producer of citrus fruit, pecans, shrimp, and oysters. The Depot also held importance in its role as the social hub of the town, somewhat because it housed the local Western Union office where personal and business messages came over their wires. , The Depot was decommissioned in 1965. The Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce purchased the building from the L and N Railroad in 1979. Several restorations and renovations have carefully maintained the historic Depot over this past century and more. As home to the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce - Main Street - Tourism Bureau, and the Realizations shop of the Anderson family, the L and N Railroad Depot at 1000 Washington Avenue remains a treasured and iconic building welcoming you to Ocean Springs. , [Caption: Postcard image from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Digital Archives - Cooper Postcard Collection], This informational sign is part of a community project led by the Historic Ocean Springs Association, and is made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area. , We thank the City of Ocean Springs for their support of this project.