Augusta Union Station was a train depot in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

at 525 8th Street, serving trains from its opening in 1903 to its closing in 1968. The

Spanish Renaissance The Spanish Renaissance was a movement in Spain, emerging from the Italian Renaissance in Italy during the 14th century, that spread to Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. This new focus in art, literature, quotes and science inspired b ...

styled building was in central Augusta at Barrett Square, five blocks from the banks of the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

History

The station served trains of the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

(ACL),

Georgia Railroad Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, Southern Railway, Central of Georgia Railway, Charleston & Western Carolina Railway, and Georgia & Florida Railroad. Noteworthy was the Southern Railway's '' Augusta Special,'' which in peak years went as far as

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and in later years went as far as

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

via

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

. Additionally, the Atlantic Coast Line's '' Palmetto'' operated from New York to Augusta, with a connecting train over Georgia Railroad tracks from Augusta to Atlanta. The ACL offered service on its train #50 bound for Washington, D.C. and New York City. (For the return trip, passengers would take the ACL's West Coast Champion, which would have a special Augusta-bound section breaking off at

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolit ...

). The Georgia Railroad offered connecting trains to Atlanta Union Station. In the same fashion, the ACL and the Georgia Railroad offered overnight Atlanta-Augusta-

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

service; until the early 1950s the train had an additional branch that veered southeast to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. With the ACL's merger with the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

(SAL) into the

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

in 1967 the ''Palmetto'' picked up this service but shortened the route to Augusta. However, the SCL continued to operate a connecting Augusta-Atlanta train. The Charleston & Western Railway operated passenger train service between Augusta and

Port Royal, South Carolina Port Royal is a List of cities and towns in South Carolina, town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Is ...

on the Atlantic Coast with a major transfer stop at

Yemassee, South Carolina Yemassee () is a small Lowcountry town in Beaufort and Hampton counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 1,027 at the 2010 census. Yemassee is near the borders of Colleton and Jasper counties. The town is divided by the co ...

until some point between 1954 and 1955. Service declined in destinations by the late 1960s. In 1968 the station was closed. Nonetheless, the SCL continued Florence to Augusta train service, last as a section of the New York - Florida train, the ''

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

;'' this ended in 1970. The station was demolished four years later. In its place is a post office.Steve Storey, Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage, 'Augusta Depots' http://www.railga.com/Depots/augusta.html

Notes

External links

1925 Southern Railway timetable

1952 Southern Railway timetable

Image of station, circa latter 1960s
{{coord, 33.4715, -81.9685, type:railwaystation_region:US-GA, display=title Former railway stations in Georgia (U.S. state) Union stations in the United States Railway stations in the United States opened in 1903 Atlantic Coast Line Railroad stations Former Southern Railway (U.S.) stations Demolished railway stations in the United States Railway stations closed in 1968 Stations along Southern Railway lines in the United States