Collinwood Commission Votes for Library to Remain in Depot Building Indefinitely

The Collinwood Depot is undoubtedly the most historically treasured building in the city of Collinwood, Tennessee. Located on East Depot Street, the building now houses the Collinwood Depot Branch Library.

The old Depot Train Station building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 1st, 1988. It was originally built in 1916 next to the railway that connected Collinwood to Iron City, Tennessee. The depot originally had four rooms, with a baggage room and an additional warehouse added in 1918.

Writings of the late Mrs. Eva Burns Smith Luttrell included the history of Collinwood and the railway that necessitated the construction of a train depot:

“Early in 1913, the Superior Lumber and Tie Company purchased several acres of forest land around the area where Collinwood is now located. W.W. Collins was a Superintendent of the operations for the company and it seems was a man of great energy. He hurriedly set up the company’s sawmills and started a plan toward building a town. He named the town Collinwood – “Collin” for him, and “wood” because of the great wood industry.

“In December of 1913 the first train pulled into the settlement. Work had begun one year before by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Company who had a contact to build and operate the railroad known as the Tennessee Western Railroad Company, and to furnish telegraph equipment and lines from Collinwood to St. Joseph, Tennessee. There was much excitement in the town when the first train pulled in for its first shipment of lumber.

“The crashing sound of falling timber, the hissing of locomotives, and the rush of immigrants gave Collinwood a real boom town air and the population reached two thousand. All this was before World War I. The town was incorporated in 1915, but this lasted only a couple of years. During this time a Mr. Holmes started publishing a newspaper called the Collinwood Pilot and it had all the splendor of a frontier newspaper. A beautiful depot was built.

“One source said three trains came into Collinwood each day, and two of them were passenger trains. Each time the train whistle would sound, the town would gather at the depot.” – Written by the late Mrs. Eva Burns Smith Luttrell for the Wayne County Historical Society.

After the Depression hit Wayne County hard in the late ‘20’s and early ‘30’s, the station ceased operation in 1939, and the tracks were removed in the early 1940’s. After the abandonment and removal of the railway, the depot was used for various purposes in the following years including a private home, a warehouse, and even a grist mill. The Collinwood City Government utilized the depot building as City Hall from 1967 to 1977, and it later became home to the Collinwood Senior Citizens Center. To the advantage of the citizens of Collinwood, the depot building was completely renovated and has been housing the Collinwood Depot Branch Library since September of 2001.

At the most recent meeting of the Collinwood City Commission, a resolution regarding the Depot Library was voted on and approved. The Wayne County Library Board previously contacted the city about updates and cosmetic improvements they want to make to the interior of the depot/library building. “As long as the rules regarding the historical preservation of the building are adhered to, we will allow the library to remain in the depot building indefinitely,” said Collinwood City Manager Gary Victory.

The depot building itself is owned by the City of Collinwood, and Victory said the Library Board was just concerned about investing funds into the library and then possibly having to move out. The Collinwood City Commission voted unanimously that the library could remain there as long as they want as long as the historical guidelines are followed.

“The city still has some grant money that was appropriated for the depot building, and we will be glad to give some or all of it to the Library Board for interior improvements,” said City Manager Victory. “We also plan to apply for more grant money during the next round of historical grants. If we are awarded any of these grants, we [the city] plan to make much-needed improvements and upgrades to the exterior of the building.”

The Collinwood Depot remains the most historically significant building in the city. Most agree that it is the perfect place for a library, and wouldn’t it be wonderful for both the library and building to be there for another hundred years!