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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Myrtle Beach Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Station

Myrtle Beach Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot is a historic train station located at Myrtle Beach in Horry County, South Carolina. It was built in 1937 by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and is one-story rectangular building was constructed with the standard ACL bi-level floor plan that has a raised freight room with steps leading down to the lobby/office area. It features exterior architectural detailing reflecting Colonial Revival, Craftsman, and Mission stylistic influences.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Prior passenger services

Until 1955 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad ran passenger rail service from the station along the Myrtle Beach Branch to Chadbourn, North Carolina, where a connection could be made to a train bound for Florence, South Carolina, Sumter, South Carolina and Columbia's Union Station to the west, and Wilmington, North Carolina to the east. At the start of the 1950s the train went beyond Chadbourn to Elrod, North Carolina, where a connection could be made to the ACL's Palmetto. From 1955, onward, there was primarily freight service from Myrtle Beach, with the last passenger train departing on October 23, 1986. Horry County bought the railroad from CSX in 1984 using federal and state money. The state condemned the tracks east of the Intracoastal Waterway in 1988. As of 1996, the local and state governments had spent millions, including $4 million to repair the drawbridge over the waterway. Carolina Southern Railroad, which was leasing the railroad at the time, offered $425,000 to buy the line, intending for passenger service to resume and generate $1 million a year, but the county rejected the offer. Repairs to the waterway bridge were completed in 1997.

Restoration effort

Trains used the nearby train yard until 1971. The last freight train used the depot in 1988, and after that it became a beer distributor's warehouse. When it appeared the depot would be torn down, the city bought it for $750,000 in 2000. A concrete block addition came down in 2001 as efforts began to have the property named to the National Register. By the time the designation was achieved, the All Aboard Committee had raised $470,000 of the $677,000 restoration cost. The depot opened as a museum May 6, 2004. A. Dale Gilliland, AIA volunteered his services as architect to restore the depot.

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Foley, Courtney (March 1, 2002). "Myrtle Beach Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Station" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  3. ^ "South Carolina Department of Archives and History". National Register Properties in South Carolina: Myrtle Beach Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Station, Horry County (jct. of Oak St. and Broadway, btw. Jackson St. and 8th Ave., Myrtle Beach), including 11 photos. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. 2010-06-19.
  4. ^ "Atlantic Coast Line, Tables 37, 46". Official Guide of the Railways. 87 (7). National Railway Publication Company. December 1954.
  5. ^ "Atlantic Coast Line, Tables 1, 32". Official Guide of the Railways. 82 (8). National Railway Publication Company. January 1950.
  6. ^ "Atlantic Coast Line, Table 46". Official Guide of the Railways. 88 (4). National Railway Publication Company. September 1955.
  7. ^ Benson, Adam (October 24, 2023). "Myrtle Beach's train depot is a treasure trove of memories. What do you remember?". The Sun News. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Bernhard, Jr., Kent (June 27, 1996). "Bid for Railroad $1 Million Short of '94 Appraisal; Horry Council May Take Offer". The Sun News. p. 1A.
  9. ^ Lovelace, Craig S. (July 10, 1997). "Rail Troubles Remain As Bridge Lowers". The Sun News. p. 1C.
  10. ^ Klepper, David (November 28, 2001). "Group Moves Ahead with Train Station Plans". The Sun News.
  11. ^ Klepper, David (August 14, 2002). "Depot on Historic Register". The Sun News.
  12. ^ Klepper, David (May 6, 2004). "Train Depot Takes Long Journey to Reopening". The Sun News.
Preceding station Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Following station
Pine Island
toward Elrod
Myrtle Beach Branch Terminus