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Cambria Freight Station and Museum

Introduction

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Built in 1868, The Cambria Freight Station, also known as the Christianburg Depot, is an historic railroad depot in Christiansburg, Virginia. It is a simple one-story, wooden structure built in the Italianate style and is only one of two depots of this style left in in Virginia. The building houses a local history museum known as the Cambria Depot Museum. It also houses the studio of the The Scale Cabinetmaker, an internationally acclaimed miniature hobby publication. Many of the studio's models are on display. The museum features exhibits on the restoration of the depot and the Cambria community. The depot was listed to the National Register of Historic Places and named to the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1985.


Images

  • The depot

Backstory and Context

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The depot stands on the location of the previous depot which was built in 1857 and subsequently burned down by Union troops in 1964. Between 1868 and 1908 the depot offered both passenger and freight services. Freight trains continued to use the terminal until 1960 when it was sold as warehouse space. In 1982, Dorsett Publications, the publisher of The Scale Cabinetmaker, bought the depot to become its corporate headquarters. By this time the the depot had fallen into disrepair but it was restored in 1985.

Sources

"Cambria Depot Museum". http://www.newriverheritage.org/members-cambria.htm. Retrieved 4-8-15. Gibson, Worsham. "Christianburg Depot", National Register of Historic Places. 12-12-1985.

Additional Information