Webster Springs Railroad Depot Project at Standstill

Exterior restoration and renovation of the Depot is complete;
interior renovations await further approval.

According to Webster Springs Mayor Donnie McCourt, work on the Webster Springs Railroad Depot project on Golden Shore is at a standstill, awaiting approval from the Department of Transportation (DOT) of the proposed interior plans for the Depot. 

Once the interior plans are approved by the DOT grant committee, McCourt said that the plans will be placed up for bid, with hopes that the interior work could be completed by May, 2013. He said that approval is complicated by the fact that to be eligible for the grant money, every interior detail right down to the light fixtures has to meet grant committee acceptance. About $70,000 has already been spent on restoration and preservation of the exterior, and the Mayor believes that much will likewise be spent on the interior. All the money for completion of the Depot is available. "The federal, state, and city have all paid their shares, and we are just waiting for the approval to put this out for bid," McCourt added.

Architectural rendering of proposed Depot interior.

The City of Webster Springs purchased the Depot and about 2.5 acres of land from Pardee & Curtin. The City made an additional purchase of another 3/4 of an acre to remove a mobile home and clean up the area, providing a better view of the Depot from Route 20. The Depot may be used as an office and Welcome Center for the City. Architect drawings also show the Depot used as information center and gift shop.

The actual architect drawings for the proposed interior of the Webster Springs Railroad Depot.

With the land surrounding the Depot, the Mayor said that the City is considering plans for an RV campground, with about 20-22 RV spots and full-service hookups. The City has applied for grant funds for the RV project, which would be operated as a public-private partnership.

Wooddell Falls, also known as Happy Jack
Falls, is along the old railroad line the City
proposes to lease for a hiking trail from the
Depot (photo about 1903, W.W. Dunnington).

The City has also previously leased the railroad tracks across Route 20 from the Depot up to the locally known "Happy Jack Falls," also known as Wooddell Falls in times gone by. If the RV campground is completed, McCourt said that the City plans to open up these tracks as a walking trail from the campground to the Falls.

The last time a train left the Webster
Springs Depot was the running of the
Salt Sulphur Special in May, 1971.

The City is also considering acquisition of old railroad cars as further attractions at the Depot and campground area. It has been quite some time since any actual railroad cars were in Webster Springs, the last being when a special run of the Salt Sulphur Special graced the railroad tracks.

May, 1971 photo of the Salt Sulphur Special which ran from Slatyfork to Webster Springs along the Elk River.