Union Station (Wilmington, North Carolina)

Wilmington Union Station was a union station in Wilmington, North Carolina. Opened in 1913, it was designed by architect Joseph F. Leitner. Construction by Boyle-Robertson contractors began in 1912. It was located at Front Street and Red Cross Street in downtown Wilmington.[1][2]

Union Station c. 1917

Early years

In early years the station had tenants in both of the railroads serving the city: Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Seaboard Air Line Railroad.[3] However, by 1932, the Seaboard Coast Line relocated to its own Wilmington facility 3.1 miles away.[4]

The Atlantic Coast Line's history with the city dated back to 1840 when the predecessor railroad, Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad opened a 161 mile route to Weldon, North Carolina to the northwest. The ACL set its headquarters in buildings adjacent to Union Station.[5]

Passenger trains
  • The ACL's Tar Heel (New York City train, discontinued, 1937, with a Norfolk, VA-originating section) terminated at the station

successors to Tar Heel:

    • section of the Havana Special (New York - Miami) that split off at Rocky Mount[6]
    • section of the Palmetto (New York - Miami) that split off at Rocky Mount[6]

The station served additional unnamed trains:

Demise

In the latter 1950s, the directors of the remaining tenant, the ACL, viewed the location as remote from the main network. Furthermore, leaders were seeking a merger with the Florida East Coast Railway, the ACL's route to Miami and the rest of southeast Florida. The merger would need the assent of Florida's utility commission, so the company had another incentive to move to Florida.[10]

The ACL was one of the largest employers in Wilmington. It had a 1,650 employee payroll in the city; and over 1,300 employees in the main office would be affected by a move from the station and the company headquarters. The company's move and the departure of employees that would follow the company to Florida would affect the city's tax base, in the company's estimation. Nevertheless, the ACL left Wilmington in 1960, to relocate its headquarters to Jacksonville, Florida.[1][10]

The ACL merged with the SAL in 1967 to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad; and in 1968 the last train, the Palmetto, left the station.[10]

The station was demolished in 1970 and its location now is the site of much of Cape Fear Community College's campus.[10]

References
  1. Cape Fear Museum, "Atlantic Coast Line's Railroad Offices, 1900
  2. North Carolina Architects & Builders: A Biographical Dictionary, "Union Station" https://ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu/buildings/B002364
  3. "Index of Railroad Stations, 1465". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 54 (1). June 1921.
  4. "Index of Railroad Stations, 1719". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 64 (9). February 1932.
  5. 'Trains,' Summer 2005, "Three Depots of the South" https://ctr.trains.com/railroad-reference/birds-eye-view/2010/08/three-depots-of-the-south
  6. "Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Tables 1, 9". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 87 (7). December 1954.
  7. "Atlantic Coast Line, Table 53". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 71 (3). August 1938.
  8. "Atlantic Coast Line, Table 31". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 71 (3). August 1938.
  9. "Atlantic Coast Line, Table 33". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 98 (2). July 1965.
  10. Steelman, Ben. 'Wilmington Star-News,' December 11, 2005. "End of the line" https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20051211/end-of-the-line

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