COLLINWOOD DEPOT

Inscription

COLLINWOOD DEPOT
BUILT 1916 BY TENNESSEE
WESTERN RR, APPROX. 16.5-MILE
LINE BETWEEN COLLINWOOD AND
IRON CITY. DEPOT CLOSED 1939.
BECAME LIBRARY 2001.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2026

In 1916, the Tennessee Western Railroad built a combination freight and passenger depot in Collinwood, Tennessee. The railroad, completed in 1913, ran approximately 16.5 miles from Collinwood to Iron City, Tennessee. It carried both passengers and freight, including pig iron, lumber, and agricultural products.

Declining traffic ended passenger service in 1938, and freight service was continued only as needed. In 1939, the railroad received permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission to discontinue operations, and the Collinwood Depot closed that February.

After closing, the former depot served several purposes over the years, including storage, as a residence, city government offices, and then as a senior center. While operating as a senior center, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. When the senior center moved to a new building, the depot sat vacant. Soon afterward, local citizens launched a renovation effort to convert it into a library, supported by grant funding and donations.

In 2001, the renovation was completed and the former depot officially opened as a new branch library of the Wayne County Public Library System. As of 2026, the building continues to house the Collinwood Depot Branch Library.