The Branchville Railroad Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The front of the structure now houses a museum/shrine of railroad memorabilia, including a caboose. Children are welcome. Informal tours are available. Admission is free but donations toward the upkeep of the museum are appreciated.
The railroad, America's first, began operations on Christmas Day, 1830, when the Best Friend of Charleston speeded along, as some passengers described, "on the wings of the wind at a speed of 20 miles per hour, annihilating both time and space, and leaving all the world behind." By 1833, the railroad had extended 136 miles from Charleston.
In 1877, a new railroad depot was erected across the street from the original station, vastly increasing
capabilities. The dining room was among the finest of its kind anywhere, and in the heyday of railroad
travel, it was famous for its bountiful table. Summoned to dinner by a bell on the platform, travelers that
included past presidents William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft were regaled
with authentic Southern cooking.
The last scheduled passenger train passed through Branchville in October of 1962, when the Carolina Special run to Cincinnati. For 135 years this structure has stood as a symbol of Branchville's rich railroad history. Through the commitment of townspeople, fellow county residents and regional supporters, the Railroad Shrine and Museum has once again become a site that will interpret the historical and cultural importance of the railroad in South Carolina and preserve Branchville's history for future generations.
The telegraph room has been meticulously recreated to look just as it was when the train station was in use.
Artifacts that tell the story of the rich and adventurous railroad and Branchville SC history.