(rshsdepot) Morehead City, NC

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From The Daily News.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
Transportation Communications Newsletter
_http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/_ 
(http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/)  
 
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Morehead Dedicates Old Train Depot
 
By Jannette Pippin, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.  
Jun. 3--MOREHEAD CITY -- The dedication of Morehead City's renovated train  
depot was both a celebration of the town's history and a tribute to a late city 
 councilman.  
A flag bearing the town of Morehead City seal flew alongside the U.S. and  
North Carolina flags Friday as town leaders and the family of the late Floyd M.  
Chadwick Jr. joined for the official ribbon-cutting in front of the depot.  
The snip of the ribbon officially dedicated the 100-year-old depot, which is  
again serving the public following a major restoration project. Overhead, the 
 flags flew in Chadwick's memory.  
Chadwick, who was remembered as a "champion of Morehead City," died in  
December 2004 at the age of 81. He was serving a third term on the town council  at 
the time of his death.  
"Floyd was as instrumental in the growth of Morehead City as anybody," said  
Mayor Jerry Jones.  
The flagpole outside the depot now stands in Chadwick's memory. His three  
children were among those present to unveil the plaque.  
Deborah Stout said her father would have been modest about such a tribute but 
 his passion for the town was true. "He loved the town and he was committed 
to  it," she said.  
The town that Chadwick loved was built around the railroad, and a piece of  
that history is preserved in the train depot, which now sits at City Park at  
10th and Arendell streets not far from where it originally served the passenger 
 trains that once stopped in Morehead City.  
"What makes Morehead City so unique is that it still has a lot of history out 
 there you can touch," Jones said.  
Morehead City was born after its namesake, the late North Carolina Gov. John  
Motley Morehead, recognized the potential of a port and city and purchased 
600  acres from the Arendell family in 1853 for $2,133. Shepard's Point Land Co. 
was  later formed, and the first lots for the new town were sold in 1857.  
Rail service was established and when Morehead City incorporated in 1858, the 
 first trains arrived with passengers.  
Construction of the train depot was completed in 1905, at which time the  
building was located in the 900 block of Arendell Street in a spot that is now  
paved highway. There were several moves over the years, and when passenger 
train  service to Morehead City ended in 1950, it sat on the corner of Sixth and  
Arendell streets and remained there until its relocation to City Park in  
December 2003 for renovations.  
The restoration and renovation project has been a public-private partnership  
in which the town has worked with organizations such as the North Carolina  
Railroad Co., the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Downtown Morehead City 
 Revitalization Association.  
The railroad company encouraged the preservation of the depot. It donated the 
 building to the town.  
On Friday, company President Scott Saylor was on hand to make a special  
presentation to the town: a framed replica of an 1867 stock certificate from the  
original railroad company Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Co.  
"You are saving not only a part of your history but a part of the railroad's  
history," Saylor said.  
The depot renovation was completed at a cost of approximately $400,000.  
The USDA provided grant funds and low-interest loans for the extensive  
restoration work while the DMCRA partnered with the town to landscape the site  and 
provide furnishings.  
The downtown revitalization group is housed in the depot and, in return,  
operates the facility as a downtown welcome center and schedules rentals of the  
meeting room, which is available for community use. 

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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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