Southern Terminal: then and now

About 1906 vs 2010 · Knoxville, TN

NowThen

Then, About 1906A black-and-white view of the station with a clock tower, a railing and the street's utility poles in the foreground.Photo: Detroit Publishing Company · Public domain · Source · resized

Today, 2010The same station seen from the street, with stepped gables over its tan walls.Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0 · Source · resized

The story

The Southern Terminal is a former railway complex at 306 West Depot Avenue. Southern Railway built it in 1903, and architect Frank Pierce Milburn designed both the terminal and the express depot.

It sits in a natural declivity about 15 feet (4.6 m) below the street levels. The railroad changed Knoxville: in the 1850s it helped turn a river town of just over 2,000 people into a major wholesale center.

In 1985 the terminal complex and dozens of nearby warehouses and storefronts were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Did you know? The Southern Terminal sits about 15 feet below the street levels around it.

Historians argue about this. Many people think railroads only moved passengers. Wikipedia says they helped turn Knoxville into a wholesaling center.

Fact or tall tale?

SolidThe Southern Terminal was designed by Frank Pierce Milburn.
Wikipedia: designed by noted station architect Frank Pierce Milburn.
Not trueThe railroad had no effect on Knoxville's growth.
Wikipedia says it transformed Knoxville from a small river town into a wholesaling center.

Sources

More: Look for historic photos at the Library of Congress

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