HISTORY OF THE DEPOT (DEPEAUX)
 
Decatur, Georgia, was founded in 1823.  Not many years later, Decatur was offered the opportunity to be the western terminus of the Georgia Railroad, then being built east to Augusta.  The city fathers declined, saying that it would bring too much congestion, and so the end of the line was extended to a junction six miles father west, called, appropriately enough, "Terminus".  Terminus later became Marthasville, then Atlanta and it still has the congestion.
 
Construction in 1891 for the Georgia Railroad, Decatur's depot was designed by E. G. Lind, a prominent architect who is best know in Atlanta for designing the Central Presbyterian Church Across from the State Capitol.  Built on the site of an earlier depot for a cost of $3000.00, the building has been in almost continuous use for over 100 years.  It serves as a good example of a small town combination depot.
 
The depot was the center of Decatur's economy at the turn  of the century and through the 1930's.  One train know years ago as the "Accommodation Train" was used be Decatur businessmen commuting to Atlanta.  The railroad also served as a major carrier of Agnes Scott College students and president-elect William Howard taft made a stopover in Decatur en route by train Aiken, S.C. on January 16, 1909.
 
As trains gave way to automobiles, the need for passenger trains diminished and ultimately disappeared.  Then in 1981, the freight area opened as a restaurant and by the late 1980's, the "Freight Room" was a popular music club.  Much to the dismay of many' local music fans, the club was forced to close its doors early January of 1999 due to deteriorating conditions of the building.

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