Reviewed by: Michael Seale
History of rail in Huntsville: 10 places to go now
Reading time: 5 minutes
People have been buzzing about the possibility of passenger rail in Huntsville since an April 23 city council meeting, when city leaders approved spending $348,874 for a study on the idea. ICYMI: Check out our coverage on that here.
While everyone imagines what intercity passenger rail in Huntsville could look like, there is plenty of rail history here to explore in the meantime—depots, museums, markers and restaurants.
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Best places for the history of rail in Huntsville:
1. North Alabama Railroad Museum
- Where: 694 Chase Road NE, Huntsville, AL 35811
- Built: Original depot, 1908; rebuilt in 1937
- Then: The Chase Depot served the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway + the Southern Railway.
- Now: Railroad museum with 30+ pieces of rolling stock, research library + excursion train rides on the museum’s Mercury & Chase Railroad
- Website | Facebook
2. Huntsville Depot grounds (for now)
- Where: 320 Church St, Huntsville, AL 35801
- Built: 1860
- Then: Eastern division headquarters of the Memphis to Charleston Railroad Company. Used as a Confederate prison after Federal troops captured it in April 1862. Passenger service ended in 1967 + became a National Register of Historic Places property in 1971.
- Now: The City of Huntsville is assessing structures before reimagining the site with public input. Initial ideas include a café, revitalized museum, green space + preserving the roundhouse for events.
- Website | History
3. Historic Decatur Union Depot & Railroad Museum
- Where: 701 Railroad St NW, Decatur, AL 35601
- Built: 1905
- Then: Union passenger depot jointly used by Southern Railway + Louisville & Nashville Railroad, built long after the city’s earliest rail heritage in the 1830s with the Tuscumbia, Courtland + Decatur line, the first railroad west of the Allegheny Mountains
- Now: FREE railroad museum inside an award-winning preservation project
- Website
- 😲 Watch the depot’s LIVE train camera anytime via Virtual Railfan
4. Madison Station Historic District
- Where: 100 Church St, Madison, AL 35758
- Built: First depot, 1858; district buildings mostly 1880s–1920s
- Then: Madison’s depot made it a center for cotton shipping along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, with four different depot buildings, the last having closed in 1961 + demolished
- Now: While no depot, much of the district stands + hosts several community festivals.
- 👀 Do the Trains on Main scavenger hunt to “train spot” 8 bronze sculptures to win a prize. Get the clue cards here.
5. Historic Hartselle Depot + Freight House Restaurant
- Where: Depot / Hartselle Chamber of Commerce, 110 Railroad St SW, Hartselle, AL 35640 | Freight House Restaurant, 200 Railroad St SW, Hartselle, AL 35640
- Built: 1914-1915
- Then: Passenger depot + former L&N freight terminal on an active rail line
- Now: The depot is home to the Hartselle Chamber of Commerce + historical displays by the local historical society. The restaurant is a must for fans of down-home cooking. (Tip: Order the Arctic Salad as a side for a frozen, fruity, nutty, fluffy whipped-cream treat.)
- Websites: Hartselle Chamber of Commerce | Freight House Restaurant
6. Tuscumbia Railroad Historic Depot + Roundhouse
- Where: 204 W. 5th St., Tuscumbia, AL 35674
- Built: 1884
- Then: Passenger station on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad, later Southern Railway, on the aforementioned Tuscumbia, Courtland + Decatur line that dates to 1830
- Now: Museum with memorabilia, telegraph + train simulations, the family carriage of famous resident Helen Keller, who frequently traveled to + from this depot
- Website
7. Courtland Depot
- Where: 215 College St, Courtland, AL 35618
- Built: Original depot was built in the 1830s; current building dates to 1887
- Then: Originally an important stop on the Tuscumbia, Courtland + Decatur line + converted into a library in the 1980s
- Now: Courtland Public Library
8. Athens L&N Depot / Limestone County Archives
- Where: 102 W. Washington St., Athens, AL 35611
- Built: 1905
- Then: L&N Railroad Depot
- Now: Limestone County purchased the depot in 2004 + converted it to house its archives, which include over 6,000 records, photos + documents dating to the county’s founding.
- Website | Facebook
9. Guntersville Railroad Depot Museum
- Where: Old Depot Dr, Guntersville, AL 35976
- Built: Original depot, 1892; restored building is a portion of the original
- Then: Served by the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad first in 1892 after many stops + starts over 50 years prior
- Now: FREE museum operated by the Guntersville Historical Society + city
- Website
10. Soul Train Station
Where: 5572 AL-53, Harvest, AL 35749
When: Mon.-Wed. 11AM-7PM, Sun. 11AM-5PM
Then: Southern Railway passenger car that used to be located next to Twickenham Station Restaurant, a long-closed spot that thrived in the 1970s + ’80s near the Von Braun Civic Center.
Now: Newly opened (April 12, 2026). limited seating soul food restaurant getting rave reviews for its meat + 2 plates
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Map: Places to explore the history of rail in Huntsville
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