Magnolia station is a historic railway station located at 101 E. Railroad Avenue, in

Magnolia, Mississippi Magnolia is a city in Pike County, Mississippi and the county seat. The population was 2,420 at the 2010 census. Magnolia is within the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Magnolia was founded in 1856 by Ansel H. Prewett, ...

.MDAH Historic Sites Survey, Magnolia MRA (Depot)
Retrieved 2017-01-22. The depot was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1984 as The Depot and was designated a

Mississippi Landmark The following is a list of Mississippi Landmarks officially nominated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and approved by each county's chancery clerk. The Mississippi Landmark designation is the highest form of recognition bestow ...

in 2006.

Description

In 1851, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas both supported the funding for the New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern railroad that was to connect Canton, Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana. This plan would ultimately include a stop and depot at Magnolia, Mississippi. The first depot in Magnolia, Mississippi, built in 1856, was one of only three depots on the New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern to survive the Civil War. In 1893 a fire destroyed this Magnolia railway depot that was completed during the President Franklin Pierce administration in 1856.Magnolia Depot Restoration & Rehabilitation
Retrieved 2017-01-23. Between 1893 and 1895, the present structure was built a little north of the original site, next to the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

. The second depot featured a front gable and the name of the town (Magnolia) painted on the roof. In the 1920s, the Illinois Central Railroad paid for additions and renovations. The front gable was taken in by the roof and the north waiting rooms expanded and enlarged, with other significant alterations to the structure occurring on the south part as well. The depot is a one-story, wood-frame building with a rectangular floor plan. It was designed to accommodate both freight and passengers at the turn of the 20th century, when Magnolia served as a resort destination. The depot has a gable roof design with wide eaves. The track side of the building was designed with irregular placement of sash windows, a bay window, single entrance doors, and freight doors. The opposite side of the building had single entrance doors and sash windows.

Restoration

By 1982, the building was used as an antique store and no longer served as a railway station. During the first decade of the 21st century, the City of Magnolia acquired the property for use as a

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

. Because of the structure's age and deterioration of the foundation, complete exterior restoration was required, but the original windows and siding were retained for historical integrity. New exterior doors were installed, and the freight doors were removed and were replaced with windows. For the interior, original doors, wood flooring, and beadboard walls were retained and restored. Renovation also included new plumbing and electrical wiring. Grants for restoration were provided by

Mississippi Department of Archives and History Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) is a state agency. It is the official archive of the Mississippi Government. Location The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is located in Jackson. The William F. Winter Archives ...

and the

Mississippi Department of Transportation The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Mississippi. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in sup ...

. Restoration was completed in 2011. The structure serves as Magnolia's City Hall.Magnolia Chamber of Commerce, City of Magnolia, Tourism
Retrieved 2017-01-23.

References

{{Adjacent stations, system=Illinois Central Railroad, line=Main Line, left=Chatawa, right=Fernwood Mississippi Landmarks National Register of Historic Places in Pike County, Mississippi City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi Former Illinois Central Railroad stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1895 Repurposed railway stations in the United States Transportation in Pike County, Mississippi Former railway stations in Mississippi