When you are passing through the Jackson, TN area, a great place to stop is the N.C. & St. L. Depot and Railroad Museum. This train was historically responsible for the building up of the area and had some powerful influence during the war, too.
The Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway Depot (N.C. & St. L. Depot), which was originally built in 1907, served to bring people into the area for the many activities and attractions taking place at Lancaster Park. This Park attracted people from miles around who came to see the amazingly beautiful gardens, watch the games at the baseball park, play at the fairgrounds, and go to the mineral wells.
The Depot, which is a brick structure, has been restored to its original beauty. Inside, you will find many artifacts and pictures that show what kind of great impact the train had in the development and growth of Jackson, TN. Altogether, there have been 14 different trains that helped build the area, and the museum stands as a tribute to all of them.
The one thing that really stands out on the Museum's baggage room is the large model train that actually runs. It is an HO scale train on an 11' X 20' foot layout that uses authentic models of the trains that ran through Jackson between 1950 and 1971. The buildings and scenes are actually models and scenes from the past in Jackson. Although it was originally built in 1995 by volunteers, it had to be rebuilt by Scouts after a tornado had caused a lot of damage in 2003. There are more than 500 feet of track and as many as four trains can operate at the same time. The train layout has 40 different "can you find" items.
Three historic railroad cars are also on the property that visitors can go through. There is a dining car (1947) and two different kinds of red cabooses. The dining car can also be rented for birthday parties or similar events. Games can be played in the Depot, they can watch the model train run, and then have cake and ice cream in the dining car. A goodie bag will be given to each child.
A tour through the Museum and cars is also available. It takes you through the various exhibits and you will need about forty-five minutes to an hour to go through all of it. Groups are also welcome, but if there are more than ten people, they would appreciate a call first.
Another regularly scheduled activity is the Watch & Timepiece Show. This event is for all ages. Many people show their watches and other timepieces and you are invited to do the same. You can buy, sell, or trade your timepiece, or just get it appraised. It runs between 10 to 12 AM on the first Saturday of the month.
When you have finished visiting the N.C. & St. L. Depot and Railroad Museum, there are other attractions around that are also worth seeing. One of them would have to be the Casey Jones Village, where you can find shopping and history at the same place.
