This building, completed in 1869 and renovated in
1981, stands on the site of the first Georgia Railroad
Freight Depot, one of the major railroad structures in
downtown Atlanta during the Civil War. In 1860
Atlanta was Georgia's 4th largest city, with fewer than
10,000 residents. Yet Atlanta was the state's most
important transportation hub. From Atlanta the
Georgia Railroad went east to Augusta, the Western
& Atlantic Railroad ran north to Chattanooga, the
Macon & Western Railroad headed south to Macon
and the Atlanta & West Point Railroad traveled
southwest to Montgomery. In this area of downtown
all four railroads converged. Travelers moving from
one line to another did so at the huge passenger depot
called the "Car Shed." In the several surrounding
blocks the railroads had their locomotive
roundhouses and freight depots. Warehoused goods
were stored for loading onto other lines.
During the Civil War, Atlanta became a major
manufacturing center for military supplies. The
Confederate government leased numerous
warehouses for storage and the railroads transported
these vital supplies to the Southern armies.
After the armies of Union Major General
William T. Sherman captured Atlanta on
September 2, 1864, they occupied the city for more
than two months. On
November 7th Sherman
directed
his engineers to
demolish all munitions
factories and railroad
facilities. Federal soldiers
destroyed locomotives
and cars, wrecked
machine shops, tore down
warehouses and punched
the Car Shed with a
special battering ram. On
November 15th they
began setting fire to other
structures. Many
downtown stores, hotels
and the concert hall were
all burned.
Following the Federal
army's departure from
Atlanta on November
15th and 16th on their
"March to the Sea" a
Confederate military
report noted, "The car
shed, the depots, the machine shops, foundries, rolling
mills, merchant mills, arsenals, laboratory, armory,
etc., were all burned." Most private homes and
churches escaped the flames although some were
destroyed during the preceding months fighting.
One end of this second Georgia Railroad
Freight Depot was originally three stories high
with a cupola. Fire destroyed that portion in
1935. Built of brick with Stone Mountain
granite and a Polk County roof, it is 50 feet
wide with its length including 54 feet of office
space and 224 feet as the freight warehouse
room. It is among the oldest buildings in
downtown Atlanta.
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