(rshsdepot) Lebanon Junction, KY

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_home.com>]

HOPE RIDES RAILS IN LEBANON JUNCTION Depot replica is part of
revitalization plan
Courier - Journal

8/29/2001

Except for the occasional clattering of a passing freight train,
it is quiet these days in downtown Lebanon Junction in southern
Bullitt County.

Incorporated in 1895, Lebanon Junction grew up around the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad, bustling with people and
railroad crews as passenger and freight trains departed on the
hour.

It was the largest city in the county in the 1950s, and its
streets were lined with stores.

But while the county has grown rapidly in recent years, adding
13,669 people from 1990 to 2000, Lebanon Junction has sputtered -
adding 60 people during that time.

However, city and county leaders have been quietly developing a
plan to revitalize, rebuild and preserve downtown Lebanon
Junction. The hope is to capitalize on the city's past to bolster
its future.

In the next three years, according to the plan, the city would
build a replica of the old depot (complete with a museum devoted
to city history); work with the Kentucky Railway Museum in New
Haven to develop a scenic train route from New Haven to Lebanon
Junction; preserve many of the city's historic buildings; and
perhaps build an industrial park with Nelson County at the city's
southern border.

"There's a lot of potential here people don't realize," said Jo
Ann Yates, executive director of the Shepherdsville-Bullitt
County Tourist and Convention Commission.

And much of that potential rests with the railroad, which no
longer stops in Lebanon Junction.

As many as 500 of the city's residents worked for the railroad at
any time between 1895 and 1930. About five work in the rail
industry now.

The railroad "was the town," said former Mayor Steve Masden, a
rail industry worker. "You can't believe how much activity was
here. . . . I want to keep alive what it was like for the people
who don't realize it and just can't imagine it. We have to
preserve the history we have."

Masden, a tourist commission member, will have plenty of help.

The commission - assisted by Bob Polsgrove, a former program
manager of the Kentucky Heritage Council - has identified and
assessed about a dozen of the most significant historical
buildings and sites around the county to determine which have the
greatest potential to attract tourists.

Lebanon Junction was selected as the commission's top project
because it has dozens of downtown commercial and residential
buildings that are more than 75 years old and because of its
historical significance in both the Civil War and the railroad
era, Polsgrove said.

"It is the oldest railroad town on the L & N and may be the
biggest," he said. "It is full of opportunity."

One part of the plan is to create a historic district downtown by
listing as many of the older buildings on the National Register
of Historic Places as possible. Polsgrove said he hopes to
preserve 40 to 60 buildings - both commercial and residential.

Yates declined to say how much any of the projects would cost but
said the tourist commission would apply for grants and ask for
donations and state money.

Setting up the scenic train route operated by the Kentucky
Railway Museum would require the purchase of three miles of
railway owned by CSX Transportation between the Jim Beam
distillery and the city. Officials have attempted this purchase
before, but it has never fit into CSX's plans.

In July, Bullitt Fiscal Court approved a resolution supporting
the creation of a "locally owned and operated railway company."

"This resolution doesn't mean that Bullitt and Nelson counties
will be in the railway operating business," said Karl Lusk,
chairman of the Bardstown-Nelson Tourist and Convention
Commission. "It does create support by local government for a
vehicle that could purchase an existing railway line. . . . All
of this is subject to negotiation with CSX."

He said CSX would be contacted this week.

State Rep. Larry Belcher, D-Shepherdsville, said he and colleague
Jodie Haydon, D-Bardstown, have asked Gov. Paul Patton for
$150,000 for the train route.

The proposed industrial park would be adjacent to Interstate 65
on the Bullitt-Nelson border. "We're hopeful we can pull this off
to enhance economic development," Lusk said.

The commission has been working to drum up support for the
various projects. The Lebanon Junction City Council and Bullitt
Fiscal Court approved a resolution of support in July.

Belcher said he has not heard from Patton.

Polsgrove said the only addition to downtown Lebanon Junction
would be the depot. The rest of the plan just involves showcasing
what the city already has.

"We want to use the basic appearance and character and tradition
of the community to share with visitors," he said.

Polsgrove and Yates said they hope shops and restaurants would be
built around a new depot.

Revitalizing downtown "would be great," said Lebanon Junction
resident Marsha Puckett. "A lot of people don't know we're here."

Left, a Louisville & Nashville freight moved through Lebanon
Junction in 1956. Above, the L&N depot in the early 1900s.

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