"It tells people that the depot is Flowery Branch's identity," said Dinah Wayne, former Better Hometown manager, whose efforts led saving the depot and restoring it to its late 19th century, early 20th century appearance.
"She earns her space today and she was worthy of being rehabilitated in 2001 and we're very proud of the depot," Wayne said.
According to Wayne, a historic marker was needed to tell the story of the depot's importance in the days when south Hall farmers shipped their produce and cotton by rail. Its working years ran from 1890 until the 1970's on the Richmond and Danville Railroad and the Southern Railway system.
The marker was ordered and paid for by the Friends of the Depot, Flowery Branch Better Hometown, Inc., and the Flowery Branch Historic Preservation Commission.
The depot's original location was across Railroad Street next to the tracks where freight and passenger trains still speed through town.
"We moved it about 100 yards from the original site," Wayne said. "In order to receive the money to rehabilitate it, the Historic Preservation Division of the state required that it be moved onto city property. The depot belonged to the city but it was on railroad property."
The depot, of course, no longer receives and ships freight but welcomes visitors to experience the look and feel of a by-gone era. It contains a railroad museum and serves as a community meeting place.
(L-R) Mary Jones, Pat Zalewski and Dinah Wayne view Flowery Branch train depot marker
http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/12/225647