Berkeley Springs station is a historic railway depot located at

Berkeley Springs Berkeley Springs is a town in, and the county seat of, Morgan County, West Virginia, United States, in the state's Eastern Panhandle. "Berkeley Springs" is also commonly used to refer to the area in and around the Town of Bath. In 1776, the Virg ...

, Morgan County, West Virginia. The depot is a one-story, rectangular red brick building with a bell-cast, red tile roof and measures approximately 80 feet long by 20 feet wide. It features

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

style details.

History

It was built in 1915 by the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

. At its peak in the 1920s and 1930s the railroad spur was used for shipping produce and pulpwood. It ceased use as a passenger depot in 1935. Up until the 1990s, the town's administrative office, municipal court and police department were housed in the depot. After that it was used as a music shop and art gallery, among other things. It is located within the

Town of Bath Historic District Town of Bath Historic District is a national historic district located at Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, West Virginia. The district encompasses 218 contributing buildings, 3 contributing sites, 6 contributing structures, and 1 contributing ...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 as the Berkeley Springs Train Depot. It is owned by the Town of Bath along with the adjoining 2.1 acres acquired from CSX.

Rehabilitation

A group of volunteers organized in 2008 to rehabilitate the depot. In 2009 and 2010, the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office and the Governor's Office of Economic Development provided a grant to the town for initial work to repair the roof and in 2010, the WV Eastern Panhandle Regional Planning and Development Council awarded the town a $32,000 West Virginia Energy Efficiency & Conservation Grant to pay some of the cost of installation and replacement of the HVAC system and insulation. That year, extensive carpentry repair of the roof sheathing was performed and during the summer, most of the historic roof tiles were removed and stored for incorporating into a roof rehabilitation. Then, in 2011, the depot was issued a Federal Highway Administration Transportation Enhancement grant to refurbish the distinctive tile roof, restore the interior to its 1915-era look and rehabilitate some of the surrounding land. Work on the first phase of the rehabilitation, dealing with the exterior and the roof, begin in April 2015. The tiles that were removed and those that were missing were an exact match to those from 100 years ago. In 2016, the Town received a federal Transportation Alternatives grant toward design of the interior restoration; hazardous material remediation; waterproofing of the structure's cellar; electrical-system and plumbing upgrades; and design of a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. Suggested uses of the structure include a welcome center for the state, county and town or a local museum that focuses on the railroading history of the town.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Mission Revival architecture in West Virginia Railway stations in the United States opened in 1915 Buildings and structures in Morgan County, West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Morgan County, West Virginia Former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stations Railway stations closed in 1935 Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in West Virginia