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Fort Payne Depot Museum

Alabama Registered Historic Place stubsFormer railway stations in AlabamaMuseums in DeKalb County, AlabamaNational Register of Historic Places in DeKalb County, AlabamaRailroad museums in Alabama
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1891Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in AlabamaRomanesque Revival architecture in AlabamaTransportation buildings and structures in DeKalb County, AlabamaUse mdy dates from August 2023
FORT PAYNE BOOMTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT
FORT PAYNE BOOMTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT

The Fort Payne Depot Museum (formerly the Alabama Great Southern Railroad Passenger Depot) is a historic building in Fort Payne, Alabama. The depot was built by the Alabama Great Southern Railroad in 1891, at the height of Fort Payne's mining-driven boom. Passenger service ended in 1970, but the depot continued to service freight until 1983. It was converted into a museum in 1986, which includes exhibits with 19th century and Native American artifacts, a collection of dioramas of fantasy scenes and historical events, and a former Norfolk Southern caboose. The depot was designed in Richardsonian Romanesque style by architect Charles C. Taylor. It is clad in grey sandstone with pink granite trim. The hipped roof has several gables protruding from it, as well as a circular tower on one corner. The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Fort Payne Depot Museum (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Fort Payne Depot Museum
5th Street,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 34.444166666667 ° E -85.718611111111 °
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Fort Payne Depot and Museum

5th Street 105
35967
Alabama, United States
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Phone number

call+12568455714

Website
fortpaynedepotmuseum.com

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FORT PAYNE BOOMTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT
FORT PAYNE BOOMTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT
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Nearby Places

W. B. Davis Hosiery Mill
W. B. Davis Hosiery Mill

The W. B. Davis Hosiery Mill (also known as the Alabama Builders' Hardware Manufacturing Company Complex) is a historic industrial complex in Fort Payne, Alabama. It opened in 1884 in the midst of Fort Payne's economic boom, manufacturing building hardware and supplies. The main building, which features Colonial Revival details, is three stories tall, with 12-over-12 sash windows on each floor. An 85-foot (26-meter) chimney has a flared top and corbeled brick course, imitating a doric order column. By 1890, hopes that large quantities of iron ore and other minerals would be discovered in the Fort Payne district proved to be ill-founded. The ABHMC and seven of Fort Payne's other large manufacturers merged in an effort to remain in business, but they were unable to avoid bankruptcy.The mill building was purchased in 1909 by hosiery executive W. B. Davis, and converted it into a factory providing ribbing, knitting, and looping. The operation was soon expanded to include dyeing, shaping, and packaging, as it became the largest employer in Fort Payne and gave the town its nickname of the "Sock Capital of the World". The factory underwent a large expansion beginning in 1927, including a large wing off of the main building, a knitting building, an expanded boiler room, other storage buildings, and an annex across the street. In 1948 the company was sold, and in 1974 a new building was constructed adjacent with production moved out of the original building.The complex was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1976 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The Annex was added to the National Register listing in 1992.

Manitou Cave

Manitou Cave is a cave in Alabama, near the town of Fort Payne, in the side of Lookout Mountain. In the early 1800s, the Fort Payne area was a Cherokee settlement named Willstown. This was the home of Sequoyah during his time of creating the Cherokee syllabary. Later, Sequoyah's son wrote on the walls of Manitou Cave using this syllabary, documenting ceremonial events and other culturally significant information and history. In the 1830s, Cherokee people were forcibly relocated from this area along the Trail of Tears, leaving the cave empty for some time. During the Civil War, the cave was a source of saltpeter for the Confederate Army. The mineral was mined by laborers to provide the essential ingredient for black powder. The cave was also designated fallout shelter during the Cold War.In 1888, Manitou Cave was opened by the Fort Payne Coal and Iron Company and became a tourist destination. Management of Manitou Cave later shifted to the Walter B. Raymond Sr. family, who operated it through the mid-1970s. It closed as a tourist attraction in 1979. For many years Manitou Cave was neglected and closed to the public. In 2015, Manitou Cave was purchased and a 501(c)3 non-profit, Manitou Cave of Alabama, was founded by Annette Reynolds to protect and conserve the cave and surrounding property. Repairs, renovations, and conservation efforts followed, including the installation of an eco-friendly cave gate for safety and security. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians helped to secure the gate's purchase. During these conservation and revitalization efforts, the Manitou Cave Snail, called the Antrobis brewerii, was confirmed to still exist in the cave, making Manitou Cave the only place it is known to exist in the world.In 2021, Manitou Cave received certification as a Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Interpretive Center from The National Park Service National Historic Trail Office, Sante Fe, NM.As of 2022, Manitou Cave of AL, Inc. stewards the cave with a mission is "to respect and protect this historic, sacred site through conservation and education so that the cave, land, and water are preserved for visitors and wildlife as a place of peace." To preserve the cave as a living record of history and to protect the fragile ecosystem, public access is limited to annual community tours a couple times a year and educational research.