Southern Pines, NC (SOP)

235 Northwest Broad Street
Southern Pines, NC 28387

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $771,191
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 6,652

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: Town of Southern Pines
• Parking Lot Ownership: Town of Southern Pines
• Platform Ownership: Town of Southern Pines
• Track Ownership: CSX Transportation

• Floridian

Todd Stennis
Regional Contact
governmentaffairsnol@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

• Town of Southern Pines
• NC By Train
• Southern Pines Welcome Center
• Train Station Rental Information
• Case Study: Tourism Growth

 

The wooden Southern Pines depot was built in 1898 for the Raleigh and Augusta Railroad, which was later absorbed into the Seaboard Air Line Railway (SAL). The SAL subsequently became part of CSX, which sold the building to the town in 2003 for $1. This transfer of ownership allowed the town and state to move forward the next year with a major rehabilitation project that aimed to return the depot to its 1948 appearance – when it had been significantly “modernized” by the SAL. During the project, crews replaced the flat roof with a hipped version, painted the exterior and renovated the waiting room, restrooms, platform and canopy. The depot reopened on February 22, 2005; the North Carolina Department of Transportation provided $800,000 in funding.

The Pilot, the local newspaper, closely documented the 1948 renovation, which cost about $60,000. At a time of widespread segregation, the building then had separate waiting rooms for use by white and African American passengers. They were physically separated by the ticket office, which had counters facing onto both rooms. As part of the renovation, the old heating stove was replaced with steam radiators and the spaces were brightened with fluorescent lighting. Modern touches included shiny chromium trim around the doors, brown Flexichrome plastic tile flooring, walnut-colored Masonite wainscoting on the lower walls and new glass panels on the ticket counter. Complementing these darker colors were aqua-colored plaster on the upper portion of the walls and wood trim painted green-blue. Sturdy oak benches were refinished with a lighter tone.

A major visual change resulted from the removal of three roof gables and institution of a new paint scheme – out went mustard colored clapboard walls in favor of bright white with dark green trim. On the north end of the depot, the baggage room and Railway Express Agency switched places.

The current depot is the second to serve Southern Pines. It replaced a smaller facility that, according to The Pilot, was then loaded onto a flatcar and moved to the community of Vass, N.C., about nine miles to the northeast.

Located in the heart of the popular downtown shopping and dining district, the depot today includes an Amtrak passenger waiting area, the Southern Pines Welcome Center, a community room and the station master’s office. The Welcome Center was established in 2005 in response to a request for proposals from the town after the building was renovated. The goal was to lease it to a tenant and for a use that would be a unique, clear and compatible new benefit to downtown. At that time, visitors had no central place to learn about the region’s historic, cultural, shopping and dining experiences.

The Welcome Center is operated by the non-profit Welcome to Southern Pines Inc. Volunteers greet visitors, share the history of both the town and the train station, and run a cultural history museum. Private donations, sponsorships and sales of unique, train-related merchandise fund Welcome Center activities. Although Welcome to Southern Pines Inc. rents the building, the town maintains the structure.

The community room can be rented short-term through the town for everything from birthday parties to worship services, and town staff also uses it for recreation programs throughout the year. In the station master’s office, visitors can see the rolltop desk used by the last station master along with other artifacts.

Southern Pines is situated in the Sandhills area of North Carolina—site of ancient beach dunes from millennia past—whose first European inhabitants were Scotch-Irish. James T. Patrick, North Carolina’s first commissioner of immigration, sought to develop the southern part of Moore County because of its healthful climate. Patrick purchased 675 acres from Charles C. Shaw in 1884 and designed the town on a grid with the railroad passing through the center. Patrick nationally promoted it as a healthful retreat. In 1887, Charles Washington Shaw became its first mayor.

Through Patrick’s efforts, the town grew into a resort for both Northerners and Southerners. In 1903, Pennsylvania coal baron James Boyd built an estate, Weymouth, as a winter retreat. Weymouth became a favorite gathering place for many prominent authors of the 1920s and 1930s, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Paul Green, and Sherwood Anderson. His grandson, James Boyd, noted author of the day, established the Moore County Hounds equestrian hunt club, in 1914, and also published The Pilot.

Southern Pines, with Pinehurst and Aberdeen, is home to more than 40 golf courses, and has been the site of numerous national tournaments since the 27-hole course at the Southern Pines Country Club was built in the early 20th century. Resorts and tourism still play an important role in the town’s economy, and it is a favored spot for retirement.

Image courtesy of the Southern Pines Welcome Center.

Station Building (with waiting room)