Georgia Battlefields Association meets at 'Great Locomotive Chase' depot in Dalton. Nonprofit based there will showcase its importance to commerce, culture and history

Iconic Western & Atlantic Railroad depot in downtown Dalton (Picket photo) and locomotive General in town in early 1960s for the Civil War centennial (Courtesy Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia)

Three dozen members of the Georgia Battlefields Association recently enjoyed dinner in Dalton, Ga., and received an update on the group’s preservation efforts, which began in March 1995.

Fittingly, the gathering occurred at the old Western & Atlantic train depot, itself the beneficiary of a commitment to honoring the past while looking to the future. The recently restored depot was one stop along the legendary “Great Locomotive Chase” of April 1862.

The Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia hosted the event during the GBA’s annual tour of sites, which this year focused on Union army preparations for the spring 1864 Atlanta Campaign and actions through the Battle of Resaca on May 15, 1864.

GBA president Joe Trahan said the nonprofit gave $150,000 last year toward Civil War battlefield preservation efforts. Joe Gaskin, who leads fundraising efforts, said several people have increased their membership levels and donations to the GBA’s “Limber Chest” fund.

Members of the Georgia Battlefields Association at the Dalton Depot (Courtesy CFNWG)

The foundation last year moved into the depot. One half of the restored building is leased by the philanthropic group; the other side currently is being converted into an English pub.

The foundation’s community gathering space features 25-foot ceilings, charming brick and Civil War-era architectural features. But it is a very up-to-date environment -- from modern furniture to TV monitors that are designed to prompt collaboration in today’s world.

The foundation is working with the Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia, part of Dalton State College, to develop a presentation or two in the building to provide context to visitors about the role of the depot in the city’s history and economy.

Andrews Raiders and pursuers rushed by in 1862

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

Union raiders on the General set fire to a river crossing in North Georgia (Wikipedia)

The depot was the hub for commercial growth in the Dalton area and the point of origin for surveys and maps.

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

The building had its moment of fame on April 12, 1862, when Northern raiders (the South labeled them spies) commandeered the locomotive General in Big Shanty. They chugged toward Chattanooga, intent on destroying parts of the railroad.

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

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. Many were hanged while others escaped. Several were the first to receive the Medal of Honor.

The depot remained in use as a rail stop for more than a century.

Center will help depot showcase area history

Foundation president David Aft (At left, with one of his painting, Picket photo) has communicated with Bandy Heritage Center director Matthew Gramling about ways to convey the depot’s vital role in the development of Dalton.

The focus will be on the cultural and economic networks the Western & Atlantic Railroad facilitated for Northwest Georgia.

Depot and other downtown buildings in 1932 (Courtesy of Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia)

“I am still in discussion with David regarding the exact display medium he wishes to use in different areas within the depot,” Gramling said in an email. “We will be providing him with local historical images on a jump drive for slide displays on a flat screen television in the main meeting area within the foundation.”

Among those images are a bank note issued during the Civil War, an old aerial shot and another of the locomotive General as it visited Dalton during the Civil War centennial. It is now housed at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Ga., while its pursuer Texas is featured at the Atlanta History Center.

Bob Jenkins, a local attorney active in Civil War land preservation and head of Save the Dalton Battlefields, said he is impressed with the renovation work on the long building in the heart of downtown on Depot Street. (Picket photo of depot interior, right)

“For the first 100 years of Dalton‘s existence, the depot was the entry point for those traveling here as they would have disembarked a passenger train at the depot and gone through it prior to entering the streets into Dalton for the first time. Today, most travelers enter Dalton via one of the interstate exits from I-75 and are graded by a multilane road with multiple fast-food restaurants, gas stations and strip malls,” he wrote in an email.

Local bank note issued during the Civil War (Courtesy of Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia)

Between the 1840s and 1940s, the Dalton Depot was a gathering place as well as a place of exchanging of information, goods and services, Jenkins said. “(The foundation) recaptures that opportunity for the exchanging of information, goods and services for the greater good for our community and her people,” he added.

Choo-choos add character to meeting spaces

The building’s future was very uncertain just a few years ago.

Locals remember Dalton Depot, a longtime restaurant and club which operated in the brick building until about 10 years ago. 

The depot fell into hard times after the restaurant closed. The city 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. It took another seven years before the renovation and reopening occurred.

The foundation’s five employees work in an office nearly twice as big as its longtime more traditional offices across town. They facilitate meetings in a glass-lined board room and smaller “collaboration zones.” (At left David Aft with one of his paintings, Picket photo)

Working with charitable givers, the nonprofit provides grants and funding for organizations in the area. Some of the endeavors involve mental health programs, historic preservation, neighborhood revitalization and other civic projects. It also provides space for outside groups to hold meetings.

Affordable housing is a problem in Dalton and Whitfield County. That has an impact on charitable giving. “People give where they live,” said Aft.

Northern half of depot is being developed as an English-style pub (Picket photo)

Last month, I stopped by the depot. People marvel at the renovated space, Aft said. A large weight scale in the lobby area is a reminder of the depot’s role in commerce, he said.

I asked him whether the building has some particular characteristics because of its history and proximity to busy CSX and Norfolk Southern rail lines.

Heating the building on cold days is a challenge, he said.

Employees have gotten used to the train traffic and say it is not distracting. Aft noted empty trains are louder because they bounce on the tracks and send out a clickety clack signal.

“It adds novelty to the space,” said Aft.

Central meeting area in the refurbished Dalton Depot (Picket photo)

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 out 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 site. 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 after the leave the large room.

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.”