Page 21 - Hancock County Tourism ~ 2021 History

Do you know about...
the Bay St. Louis Historic Train Depot
One of the hubs of social activity in Bay St. Louis in the late 1800s was the train depot. The large, Queen Anne-style structure was a daily stop
on the L&N Railroad line. Residents gathered there early each evening to meet the train and welcome travelers and commuters. Local vendors
were always on hand offering sandwiches, pralines, seafood, and pies. The wooden building, constructed in 1876, was completely destroyed by a fire
in 1928, but a new, two-story Spanish Revival Mission-style facility opened just over a year later. Even though the growth of the interstate system brought a decline in passenger rail travel, freight traffic was abundant. L&N trains, WWII troop trains, New Orleans commuters, and travelers on Amtrak’s Sunset Limited all enjoyed stops at the station. Now the tracks are used exclusively by CSX freight. Bay St. Louis purchased the depot from CSX in 1993. Located at 1928 Depot Way, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is home to the Hancock County Visitor Center and Mardi Gras Museum.
Original Bay St. Louis train depot
Spanish Revival Mission-style Bay St. Louis train depot, built after a fire destroyed the original in 1928
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