Belton in Anderson County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Belton Depot
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
1. Belton Depot Marker
The Depot building has seen two renovations, one from 1980-1983, funded by concerned citizens and local businesses, and the other from 2005-2006, funded through grants from the South Carolina Highway Commission (ANATS) and Anderson County. The Depot was completely upgraded and rehabilitated and dedicated to the community in October 2006. The historic Belton Train Depot now houses the Ruth Drake Museum, the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, a performance and meeting venue, and an exhibition gallery with coffee shop.
[Left Column]:
2005-2006
Larry E. Greer - Chairman - District 3
Bill McAbee
this page online
Michael G. Thompson - District 5
G. Fred Tolly, Jr. - District 1
Gracie S. Floyd - District 2
William C. Dees - District 6
M. Cindy Wilson - District 7
Joey R. Preston - County Administrator
Anderson County Legislative Delegation
Senator William H. O'Dell, S.C. Senate District #4
Representative Ronald P. Townsend, S.C. House District #7
Anderson County
Robert Carroll - Central Services Director
Bill Lloyd - Project Engineer
Architect
Craig, Gaulden & Davis
F. Earle Gaulden, FAIA
Contractor
C&G Builders
Tom & Jo'n Stansell
SCDOT
Marion P. Cornell, Commissioner, 3rd Congressional District
[Right Column]:
2005-2006
Rufus Callahan - Mayor
Jean C. Martin - Ward 1
Hattie S. Green - Ward 2
Marion Nickles, Jr. - Ward 3
Wallace Shaw - Ward 5
Jimmy Milford - Ward 6
David Watson - City Administrator
Belton Area Partnership
Lee Harris, Director
Homer Booth, Henry Clinkscales, Mitchell Cole
James G. Culwell, David Jones
Belton Area Museum Association
2005-2006
Alison Darby - President
Jon Wiley - Vice President
Linda Bradshaw - Secretary
Nancy
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
2. Belton Depot Marker
James Ballard, Jay Blake, Margaret A. Cole
Dick Gaillard, Joe Greer, Roy Mac Haggard
John LeHeup, Jim Marshall, Charles Martin
Benson Mattison, Ernest Mattison, Lucille Mattison
Allen Motes
Pickens Railway Company
Nancy Johnson
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Railroads & Streetcars • Sports. A significant historical month for this entry is October 2006.
Location. 34° 31.35′ N, 82° 29.633′ W. Marker is in Belton, South Carolina, in Anderson County. Marker is at the intersection of North Main Street (U.S. 76) and South Carolina Highway 247, on the right when traveling south on North Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 North Main Street, Belton SC 29627, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Greenville & Columbia RR / Belton (within shouting distance of this marker); Belton / Historic Belton (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Belton Standpipe (about 700 feet away); Belton Academy / Central School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chamberlain-Kay House (approx. ¼ mile away); First Baptist Church of Belton (approx. 0.3 miles away); Belton Veterans Memorial
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
3. Southern & Blue Ridge Railway
Combined Depot Marker
Combined Depot Marker
Restored 1978-1983
Restoration guided by a citizens committee
Charles W. Martin, Chairman
Thomas J. Burriss, Jimsie Hart
Charles W. Clinkscales, Mary Hester
Yvonne B. Fleming, James W. Marshall, Jr.
R.C. Gaillard, Jr., Max C. Williams
Listed on the National Register
of Historic Places
Also see . . .
1. Belton Depot. The Belton Depot is significant for its historical association with the railroad’s role in the development of Belton. (Submitted on May 21, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
2. Belton, South Carolina. Belton is a city in eastern Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. (Submitted on May 21, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
3. City of Belton, SC. Official website of the City of Belton. (Submitted on May 21, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
4. Blue Ridge Railway (1901). The Blue Ridge Railway was a 19th century railroad in the U.S. state of South Carolina. (Submitted on May 21, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
5. Southern Railway (U.S.). The Southern Railway (reporting mark SOU) is a former United States railroad. (Submitted on May 21, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
6. Pickens Railway Company
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
4. Southern & Blue Ridge Railway
Combined Depot Marker
Combined Depot Marker
Additional commentary.
1. Belton Depot
This one-story brick depot, constructed ca. 1910, remains the focal point in downtown Belton, South Carolina. Situated on the west side of the Belton Public Square, the Belton Depot was built by the Southern Railway to replace earlier station facilities housed in several small buildings. The original plans credit the design to the company's Office of Chief Engineer in Washington; however, the specific architect remains unknown.
Exterior
Rectangular in plan (approximately 43' by 179'), this structure features a prominent tin shingle hip roof with 7' flared eaves supported by 36 massive wooden diagonal brackets. The section housing the freight area is topped by a lower profile hip roof. Brick walls are laid in common bond with string courses and segmented arch window and door openings. The front (east) facade contains a bay on the lower level in which the telegraph and dispatcher's office was located. Directly above the bay is a tower containing three pivoting windows with diamond-shaped
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
5. Belton Depot -
Front (East) Facade
Front (East) Facade
Opening onto the exterior are three double doors and five single doors. Two of the double doors feature diamond-shaped panes in transom with one double door having a wooden transom. The upper section of all double doors contains diamond-shaped panes with lower section featuring two triangular-shaped panels to each door. Above all of the single doors are transoms with diamond-shaped panes. Three of the single doors feature five rectangular panels; two of the single doors feature diamond-shaped glass panes in their upper section with two rectangular panels in lower section. Access to the freight room is provided by ten wooden double-sliding doors. There are thirteen windows in all, with eleven featuring diamond-shaped panes on the upper sashes and two panes below. The remaining two windows are in a narrow rectangular form with diamond-shaped panes.
Interior
The Belton Depot was designed for a combination of passenger, office and freight storage uses. Two independent waiting rooms and toilets, the office area, express room, and baggage room comprise the 66' southern section. The office area and waiting rooms have high, narrow-beaded wainscotting with chair rail and wide baseboard.
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
6. Belton Depot
The Belton Depot appears to be virtually unaltered from the original plans except for the removal in the late 1950s of all but a small section of the front (east) facade of an 8' wide platform originally surrounding the freight room and extending northward 100 feet.
Significance
The Belton Depot is significant for its historical association with the railroad's role in the development of Belton. A focal point of downtown Belton, it virtually defines the west side of the public square. The Belton Depot is also architecturally significant as an example of the prevailing turn of the century genre for Depot design.
The railroad played a principle part in the development of Belton, which was incorporated in December of 1855. A combination of geographical location and economic factors in 1849 led surveyors for the new Greenville and Columbia Railroad to place a rail junction near the area which was to develop into the City of Belton.
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
7. Belton Depot -
North Side
North Side
A 1911 advertising publication for Belton contains photographs of the present depot constructed circa 1910 and states of the railroad facilities:
"There is no city of town in South Carolina that has better railroad facilities than has Belton. Belton is the junctional point for the Southern Railway, C&G Division, and the Blue Ridge Railway...There are now 68 different trains and trolleys on which one may get into and out of Belton every day."
(In January of 1872, the Greenville and Columbia Railroad became part of the South Carolina Railroad System; this in turn became the Southern Railway in 1902.)
In the early 1960s passenger service and less-than-carload freight shipments were discontinued in Belton, and the depot was eventually abandoned. The City recently acquired the depot and a perpetual lease on the property where it is located from the Southern Railroad. A local effort is now underway to examine the feasibility of restoring the depot. The Belton Museum and Belton Library
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
8. Belton Depot -
Northeast Corner
Northeast Corner
Architecture
Important as a local landmark, the Belton Depot is significant as a good architectural example of turn of the century railroad station design. The design elements that contribute to the form are the conical tower and bay, flared eaves, diagonal brackets and diamond pattern shash detail.
The Belton Depot is a visual reminder of the railroad's role in the growth and development of the town of Belton, a rural farming community located in the upper section of South Carolina. The railroad facilities after 1853, in addition to providing passenger service, were the major means of shipping farm products and supplies into and out of Belton until the advent of motorized vehicular transportation. The present railroad depot, construction ca. 1910, provided facilities for the textile industries which were located in and near Belton in the early part of the 20th Century. The Belton Depot remains a significant local landmark due to its historical association with the railroad's role in providing services to the farming and textile interests of Belton. (Source: National Register nomination form.)
— Submitted June 17, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
2. National Register of Historic Places
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
9. Belton Depot -
Eastern Walkway, Restored
Eastern Walkway, Restored
Belton Depot (added 1979 - Building - #79002373) • Also known as Southern Railway Combined Depot
Public Sq, Belton •
Historic Significance: Event, •
Architecture/Engineering Architect, builder, or engineer: Southern Railroad •
Architectural Style: Queen Anne, Romanesque •
Area of Significance: Transportation, Architecture •
Period of Significance: 1900-1924 •
Owner: Local Gov't •
Historic Function: Transportation •
— Submitted January 5, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
10. Belton Depot -
Southeast Corner
Southeast Corner
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
11. Belton Depot -
South Side
South Side
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
12. Ruth Drake Museum Entrance
The inscription on the stone marker between the two doors reads:
This property
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
13. Belton Depot Spire
Photographed By Brian Scott, April 27, 2010
14. Ruth Drake Museum
South Carolina Department of Archives and History, circa 1909
15. Belton Depot
South Carolina Department of Archives and History, circa 1915
16. Belton Depot
South Carolina Department of Archives and History, circa 1915
17. Belton Depot
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 21, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,277 times since then and 77 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. submitted on May 21, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
