NW Georgia depot known for 'Great Locomotive Chase' will reopen by summer as a place where philanthropy gets on track. We got an inside look at the renovation

Work is in full swing at the Western & Atlantic Depot (Picket photos), a stop in the Great Locomotive Chase

The past few months have seen me move a bit from my customary “armchair blogger” status to getting on the road (yes!) – reporting about sites rich with history but also dreamers who are turning old spaces into something useful.

Such was the case this past Friday, when I drove to Dalton, the carpet city in Northwest Georgia. I got an inside peek at the Western & Atlantic Railroad Depot, which is being repurposed as a charming community gathering place.

The site is best known to Civil War enthusiasts for its brief part in the “Great Locomotive Chase.” Locals tend to think about the Dalton Depot, a longtime restaurant and club which operated in the long brick building until about 10 years ago.

David Aft, right, showed me around the work inside depot (Picket photos)

“Everybody has a depot story,” said David Aft, president of the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, which will occupy half the historic depot. The civic engagement facilitator, clad in a blue sports coat and jeans, occasionally stopped to talk with workers about construction details as he showed me around.

After a brief brush against one wall, I was careful to stay away from fresh paint as we moved toward a central room that will be the hub for foundation. The gathering space will feature 30-foot sliding glass doors on either side, opening to several smaller nooks in which people can continue their conversations.

Aft told me he hopes his five employees of the philanthropic organization will be able to move in by the end of May. There’s still plenty to be done, and work on the exterior of the 1852 depot will begin soon, he said. Much of the wood around the brick needs to be repaired or replaced.

Why the move across town?

That’s an easy one: There will be modern furniture, more bathrooms, space to move around and idea-creation “in the center of all things Dalton.”

The depot, he previously told me, was the hub for commercial growth and the point of origin for surveys and maps in the 19^th century.

Now, its rustic exterior and historic features inside will help usher big and small ideas for the region.

A pivotal telegraph message during Andrews Raid

The Western & Atlantic Railroad line from Atlanta to Chattanooga was completed in the early 1850s; the Dalton depot opened in 1852 to provide passenger and freight service.

The large central room will be in the area with the large gray bucket (Picket photo)

The building had its moment of fame on April 12, 1862, when Northern raiders who had commandeered the locomotive General in Big Shanty, above Atlanta, were chugging toward Chattanooga, intent on destroying parts of the railroad. They were under the command of James Andrews.

The pursuing locomotive Texas picked up a 17-year-old telegraph operator who rushed to the Dalton depot and wired Confederate troops ahead in Chattanooga.

Although not all his message got through, Edward Henderson’s alarm sent troops toward the track. The Andrews Raiders were captured near Ringgold when the General ran out of steam. They had accomplished little but lore surrounding the "Great Locomotive Chase" was born.

Robert Jenkins, an attorney and preservationist of area Civil War battlefields, noted the first recipients of the Medal of Honor were the majority of of the Andrews Raiders, making the depot a significant part of U.S. history.

I asked Aft about ideas for interpreting the chase and Civil War.

“At this stage, we expect to have some historical signage and a few artifacts, but I don’t have any specifics,” he said. “There are no plans for a ‘museum’ right now and no conversations about curating a collection or anything like that.  It is a possibility in the future, but what that will look like and how comprehensive it has yet to be determined.”

According to a nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places, “the depot might have been partially destroyed when Union troops entered Dalton and set fire to several buildings in 1862. It appears that the essential structure of the depot was not damaged and the restoration was confined to roof and interior repair. Since the ornamental brackets are stylistically later than the date of the rest of the building, it is likely that they replaced others lost in the destruction.”

The 12,100-square-foot brick building is “a pretty high-style example of Georgia depot architecture” and has Greek Revival features. It features stone lintels, brick pilasters and door entablatures.

Building will be a mix of old and the very new 

The old Western & Atlantic is a fixture in Dalton, Ga. (Picket photo)

The city years ago contracted with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to market the vacant and deteriorated building. Officials wanted $500,000, but eventually sold it to local Barrett Properties in 2018 for $300,000. 

The community foundation will occupy the former nightclub area. Barrett Properties is marketing the other side, which still has remnants of dining booths.

The foundation is leasing its space, spending upward of $400,000 for the renovation at 110 Depot St.

During my hour-long tour, I got an occasional look at older features, including brick, telegraph window, wood flooring and a freight scale (Picket photo, left).

For Aft, the project mixes nostalgia, history and preservation. Not everyone is interested in each of those aspects, he acknowledged. But they are interested in community needs that include mental health programs, food banks, education and other civic projects. The area’s Latino population has grown considerably. Housing affordability is a big issue, said Aft.

“We partner with you to turn your dollars into impact through grants, endowments, foundations, and donor advised funds. Your passions might include your local community or a global community, and our expertise provides guidance and coordination to match your passions with real results,” the foundation says.

The foundation currently works from the top floor of a building with a more traditional setting, about a mile from the depot. The new location will allow about 40 people to comfortably gather and the foundation, when also using the large common area at the entrance, can host up to 200 people for receptions.

The trick is making up for less government funding

Officials said the reopened depot will help buttress revitalization in downtown Dalton.

They want locals to spend their dollars there, rather than nearby Chattanooga, Tenn., and to enjoy the nearby Burr Performing Arts Park, among other venues (Picket photo, right).

The foundation worked with the late philanthropist Jeanne Burr to create the venue, demonstrating arts and culture help fuel economic development.

Aft points to other attractions in the area: Retail at the Mill at Crown Garden, the Mill Line pedestrian and bicycle trail and Rocky Face Ridge Park, scene of a major Civil War battle in May 1864.

Like other nonprofits, the foundation faces challenges from reduced government spending. “We have to roll up our sleeves” to deal with what Aft called a resource scarcity crisis.

The need for nonprofits to step in to help address critical issues is especially important, given the general distrust of government in this deeply red corner of Georgia. Aft calls himself a cheerleader and facilitator.

“Charity is an act of confidence” that someone can care for their family and someone else, he said.

That concept is being challenged these days amid economic uncertainty.

Getting folks together in a pretty cool space

Norfolk Southern and CSX have tracks running through downtown Dalton, and another depot to the south serves as a tourism stop. Trains roll by regularly, so visitors will very much know the context of this gathering spot,

For Aft (left, Picket photo), the foundation is all about convening stakeholders. The setting needs to be comfortable, with a good flow that brings people together into the central room and then into corners featuring some privacy. Large TV monitors are being built into the space.

The staff will work from upstairs and lower-floor offices at the south end of the building.

They will foster engaging conversations and collaboration zones in the building. Aft figures it will take up to a year to figure out how to effectively use the space.

The key is preserving the wealth of the region while providing substantive results to individual donors and organizations and government.

The executive says his role is to support dreams, listen closely and provide reality checks on ideas.

Aft’s mantra: “Be helpful.”