Spartanburg, SC (SPB)

290 Magnolia Street
Spartanburg, SC 29303

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $447,866
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 3,548

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: City of Spartanburg
• Parking Lot Ownership: City of Spartanburg
• Platform Ownership: City of Spartanburg
• Track Ownership: Norfolk Southern Railway

• Crescent

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).

• City of Spartanburg
• Spartanburg Area Regional Transit Agency (SPARTA)
• Hub City Railroad Museum

The Spartanburg Union Station on Magnolia Street was built in 1904, and once served the Southern Railway, the Clinchfield Railway and the Charleston & Western Carolina Railway. In 1949, as many as 14 passenger trains daily traveled through Spartanburg along the Washington-to-Atlanta route, and both considerable freight and passenger rail commerce served to give Spartanburg its “Hub City” nickname.

Sadly, the original station building was torn down bit by bit until, in 1996, the remaining structure was gutted by fire. The week after the fire, 16-year-old Trey Davis III, then in high school, began an initiative to save the station through letters, editorials and visits to city leaders. The station was saved through a popular volunteer effort and subsequently restored. In addition to a passenger waiting area, the building houses the Hub City Railroad Museum. Displays explore the region’s deep and rich associations with the railroad, textile and agricultural industries.

Spartanburg is said to be named for the seasoned battalions of the two Spartanburg Regiments that fought under command of Brigadier General Daniel Morgan during the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781. The battle took place just north of what is now downtown Spartanburg. This overwhelming victory for the American forces turned out to be a deciding battle of the Revolutionary War and remains today a model of military strategy.

Early settlers to this area included French fur trappers, English woodsmen, and Scotch-Irish farmers. As with nearby Greenville, this area was also a favored hunting ground for the Cherokee and Catawba tribes, which occupied land west and east of this area, respectively.

Cotton mills, though relatively sparse in the Spartanburg area before the Civil War, abounded here afterwards as in much of the Piedmont South, encouraged by the many streams and waterfalls associated with the fault line that runs through this area. The local economy has benefited from the BMW manufacturing plant located in the western end of Spartanburg County since 1996. Spartanburg is also home to the world headquarters and research facility for Milliken & Company, one of the world’s largest privately held textile and chemical manufacturers.

Within the past decade, developers and community leaders have established an effort to revitalize Spartanburg’s downtown district. This has resulted in the remodeling of Morgan Square, the restoration of a number of historic structures, and the relocation of several businesses and company headquarters to their downtown district. Today, the restored Magnolia Street station hosts the Hub City Farmer’s Market weekly on its grounds. Numerous festivals are also held downtown throughout the year. Other attractions include the Spartanburg Museum of Art, the Spartanburg Regional (history) Museum, and the Spartanburg Science Center, as well as the Chapman Cultural Center, and the showroom home of Hub-Bub and the Hub City Writer’s project.

Station Building (with waiting room)