Sparta Railway Depot

Sparta, Tennessee's Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway Depot was constructed in 1917, in the town's commercial district. The new building replaced a wood frame type structure that had been constructed a few years prior. This Depot is considered a standard design, "combination depot." Throughout its years of service, the structure served as a passenger shelter, freight house, and business office. This design was intended to reflect and meet the demands of the economy, as well as the functionalism, and comfort of White County residents. The building sits on a concrete foundation and features a rectangular floor plan. The railroad industry began to gain steam (no pun intended) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Upper Cumberland. The passenger hub was in Cookeville, while commercial hubs were located in the villages of Monterey, Sparta, and McMinnville. Sparta became known statewide for their coal production. The small communities of Bon Air and DeRossett just east of Sparta were discovered to have large amounts of coal deposits. Not long after a mining boom ensued. One of the major players in this coal mining boom was former Confederate General George Dibrell. Dibrell founded his own company, known as the Bon Air Coal and Coke Company. This corporation became one of the largest employers in White County. Soon the Sparta Depot, and the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway Section House (NR Listed 7/6/11) in DeRossett became the stopping points for coal trains. Sparta served as the eastern most point on the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway's Upper Cumberland branch line. This branch line continued from Sparta to Rock Island, then on to McMinnville, Manchester, and finally Tullahoma. Sadly the Sparta Depot's heyday only lasted a little over a decade. In the 1920s, a new Memphis to Bristol highway was constructed. This highway followed approximately the same route as the railway branch line. Passenger service for the railroad all but died off. By the 1930s, the Bon Air and DeRossett coal mines closed. By the 1940s, the Sparta Depot was all but abandoned, and was an afterthought until 1985, when it was purchased and restored for use as a storage facility for a local furniture business. In 1992, the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its historical and architectural significance. Today, the Sparta Depot remains privately owned and serves as the distribution center for a petroleum company.

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