Original Site of Woodville Depot and Railroad
-1856-
In the 1850’s means of travel in Woodville was destined
for a change. The change would be fought in some places. That was not true
in Woodville. The Memphis and Charleston railroad was surveyed for a
railroad location. The place selected was approximately three-fourths of a
mile from Old Woodville, the first life. This company was chartered by an
act of State Legislature, January 1850. The people of Woodville and the
entire community using wise foresight took great interest in building this
railroad. They contributed liberally; the survey was begun; the work began;
the work completed and the second life of the town of Woodville, Alabama had
begun.
Besides the convenience and boost to local income, the
coming of the railroad, its tracks, its trains, its depot added greatly to
the social life of Woodville. The ladies along with the men of Woodville in
mid 1850’s could stroll down and around the Woodville Depot on a Sunday
afternoon and watch the trains go by. There was an enjoyment to see or wave
to a friend passing by or waiting on the nearby platform to meet a friend or
relative.
In 1886 Lucinda Butler Phillips was hit by a train near
the Woodville Depot which later caused her death. She would not make any
claim for damage from the Railway Company because she said, “I was in
fault”.
During the late 1950’s the Woodville Depot was closed
and sold to a private citizen, who moved it to Highway 72 (Hwy 35) and
converted it into a grocery store. Currently, the building is known as
The Ole Depot Restaurant.
There are three small houses on Railroad Street, (House
#3-4-5) which were used as section houses for railroad hands that provided
service for the railroad. The year these houses were built is not clear, but
their existence by local citizens can be traced back to early 1900’s.
