By Bonita Wilborn
The Stevenson Railroad Depot Museum is located at the heart of downtown Stevenson, Alabama, situated between the tracks of two major railroads. Its mission is to preserve an important part of railroading history through the display of related artifacts. In addition, the museum, which also chronicles modern times, displays hundreds of artifacts from other parts of the area’s past to teach young and old alike, including artifacts recalling Native American culture, pioneer life, and Civil War events.
The largest of these artifacts is the historic depot building itself. The depot, which was built in 1872 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, stands on the ruins of Stevenson’s first railroad depot built around 1852 for common use by the Nashville & Chattanooga and the Memphis & Charleston Railroads.
According to Depot Director, Loretta Barbee, “When the freight service ceased, (in the early 1980s) plans were made by the railroad companies to tear the depot down. But a group of concerned citizens got together and with a lot of help were able to save and renovate the depot and open it as a museum.”
Depot Days Festival began 38 years ago as a celebration of the opening of the Depot Museum.
Putting on a week-long festival that mostly takes place outside is certainly not cheap, so a good turnout is very important. Mrs. Barbee commented, “People don’t realize how expensive it is to put on just a small event, but after paying all the bills, the money that is left over is used for community projects.”
During the 38 years since the Festival began, there have been lots of memorable happenings. When asked to name some, Mrs. Barbee recalled, “Some of the most memorable things happen when it rains. You’ve gone through all the planning and had all of the expense, and if it rains, you have to make adjustments when possible, and if not events have to be canceled. Rain is our #1 enemy of Depot Days. Probably the most memorable thing was one year when it rained during the Ice Cream Supper. Nobody got out of line; they just acted like the sun was shining. We thought it would be a complete washout, but I think we made more money that year than we had any other year.”
Vendors come from far and wide to be involved in Stevenson’s Depot Days. Mrs. Barbee said, “This year I have vendors coming from as far as Montgomery; Mobile; Columbus, Mississippi; Atlanta, Georgia, and lots of points in between. Festival-goers also come from all over the southeast in droves that equal 3-4 times more than the entire population of the town of Stevenson.
The Depot Days Festival is held during the first full week of June each year. It is a week packed with fun and exciting events including bingo, a yard sale, an ice cream social, an auction, a street dance, lawn mower races, bug blast (VW beetles), vendors, kid’s games, and tons of fun for the whole family.
