The city of Fort Payne, tucked in the valley between two mountains of the lower Appalachian chain, is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Established in 1889, Fort Payne quickly became a bustling boom town that brought wealthy investors from the north to establish in Fort Payne. The discovery of coal and iron ore put Fort Payne on the national map and one of the things that quickly had to come about to transport people to this northeast corner of Alabama was the railroad. The tracks were laid through the narrow valley and soon visitors began arriving by the passenger train loads.
The city needed a station to accommodate the arrivals and departures and the structure had to look as prosperous as investors deemed the city to be in order to lure more people to this rich valley. Construction of a beautiful Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, built from pink sandstone quarried nearby, was erected in the heart of the city and began receiving visitors in 1891. It operated as a passenger station until 1970 where it fell into limited use as a space for an agent dealing with freight only. The initial lure for coal and iron ore had played out long since with investors picking up and moving further south. Fort Payne reinvented itself around 1915 and was soon flourishing in the hosiery industry becoming the official Sock Capital of the World. As to the Depot, freight through the Fort Payne Depot was halted in 1983 and the building went empty for a year. It was leased to a group in 1984 who saw to the preservation of the facility and began operating it as the Fort Payne Depot Museum. The group, Landmarks of DeKalb County, continues to operate the museum to this day.
As soon as it was announced in 1984 that Fort Payne would have a museum, donations began pouring in for display. The array of items collected over the years has even caused the museum to take on an annex in the restored Fort Payne Opera block located across the street from the Depot. Items on display in both buildings include currency, clothing, leaflets, news articles, and other gear related to the Civil War, Native American baskets and pottery, arrowheads and other Indian artifacts connected to our city’s Native American heritage, and many other items that tell our story as well as that of a nation.
One of the largest collections housed at the museum consist of 94 dioramas depicting small intricate scenes of fairy tale settings, landscapes and scenic representations and those of historical significance. Constructed out of plaster of paris and wires by artist Steve Fiora between the years of 1915 - 1934, the dioramas are each lighted and make an impressive and attractive display fun to view by people of all ages.
The museum offers rotating displays that will peak your interest to return time and again. One item that was donated some time ago but space did not allow for proper display was a two century old loom. Museum Curator Ann Houston says, “when donated, the loom was tucked in a far corner of the museum for lack of space to fully display it. Its size did not permit us to set it up and showcase it with the way other collections were displayed and the quantity of unique collections we house.” Houston bubbles over with joy today saying, “displays have been rearranged and space opened up in the center of the north wing of the museum to allow for full exposure of the loom that now shows how it operates. We are delighted this fascinating piece of history is now entirely observable to our visitors.”
If you do not notice the Depot Museum as you travel into downtown Fort Payne by its pink sandstone and south-end turret that captures the sun rising over Lookout Mountain and setting over Sand Mountain, you will surely notice the red caboose parked alongside it. The caboose has been a fixture of the museum since 1987 when it was acquired from Norfolk Southern. Today’s generation will enjoy a tour of the caboose as cabooses are now obsolete and no longer bring up the rear of a train. Cabooses were once used to house repair parts and an employee who would operate as a flagman. Computer systems have replaced the need for a caboose and the services once provided by that personnel. Trains now roll down the tracks with the last rail car bearing the small computerized equipment that allows for safe functioning of trains. The Depot’s little red caboose shows what life was like in the day of the operating cabooses. It has a toilet, a sink, water tank, a pot belly stove, an ice box and a table where the railroad employee would eat meals and do paperwork.
The Depot building, just two years shy of its 125th anniversary, stands as a testament to our city’s resilience to overcome and preserve our history. The museum joins with the city of Fort Payne in celebrating a milestone of 125 years of incorporation by being open this Saturday during the big Boom Days Heritage Festival that offers many stages of live entertainment adjacent to the museum and throughout downtown Fort Payne, arts and crafts in City Park located across the street from the Depot, an exclusive screening of the internationally acclaimed documentary Muscle Shoals featuring David Hood and Jimmy Johnson of the legendary Swampers, and many other venues to include excellent food vendors.
Visit the Depot Museum this weekend and at other times to see history come alive before your eyes. You will be intrigued by the vast variety of items on display. Admission is on a donations basis. Hours of operation this Saturday for both the Depot Museum and the Annex in the Coal and Iron building will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors to the Boom Days Festival are encouraged to tour the museum to be fully immersed in the city’s heritage. Curator Houston will be ready to greet you in one of Fort Payne’s distinctive landmarks.
Normal Depot Museum and Annex hours of operation: Wednesday - Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Depot Museum only is also open Sunday from 2 p.m to 3:45 p.m.
Location: 105 5th St. NE, Fort Payne, AL 35967
Contact Information: 256-845-5714
depotmuseum@bellsouth.net
www.FortPayneDepotMuseum.com and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FortPayneDepotMuseuminc