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(rshsdepot) Abbeville, LA
From Altamont Press Newsline=2E=2E=2E
Freight depot reborn in Abbeville, Louisiana=20
A freight depot built in 1894 got another chance at life recently when it
needed to be removed from its original location to make room for the
expansion of Riviana Foods in Abbeville, LA=2E=20
Once located at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and South Main Street
near the east bank of the Vermilion River, the depot started to see the
light at the end of the tunnel when it was moved to Lafayette Street near
the heart of downtown and renamed The Depot at Magdalen Place=2E
"We just stumbled upon it with the help of Riviana Foods," said Mary Ellen=
Sonnier, who has owned the Depot with her husband Charles Sonnier Sr=2E, a=
nd
her son, Charles "Chuck" Sonnier Jr=2E, since 2000=2E "I got the depot and=
restored it=2E" Mary Ellen Sonnier researched the history of the Depot to
ensure that it would be restored to the way it looked in 1894=2E=20
"Everything is original=2E No new wood was added except in the front porch=
,"
she said=2E Old wood was used to fill in the cracks in the floorboards=2E =
Chuck
Sonnier acquired two cabooses from a friend in Lafayette who owned the
business "Shortline Cabooses=2E" One of the cabooses is a 1930s wooden mod=
el;
the other is a steel model from the 1970s=2E
"We have been preservationists," Charles Sonnier said=2E "I felt like
something had to be done with it (the Depot), so we took an aggressive
move=2E" "We made a little museum," Mary Ellen Sonnier said=2E "In order t=
o
make the museum pay for itself, we decided to do a tourist attraction and =
a
gift shop=2E"
The depot offerings include antiques, local art and gifts=2E=20
The two cabooses showcase the history of trains, with the history of
Abbeville thrown in for local flavor=2E One caboose has a display dedicate=
d
to the movie remake of "The Blob," which was filmed in Abbeville in 1988=2E=
"We get a lot of train buffs that come by," said Chuck Sonnier, who is als=
o
the Depot's general manager=2E Train buffs and tourists alike have signed =
the
Depot's guest list from places as far away as South Africa and France=2E -=
Laura Faulk, The Baton Rouge Advocate, courtesy Larry W=2E Grant
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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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