Hartsville Depot readies for new owners
Hartsville Depot
Photo courtesy of the Old Darlington District Chapter (ODCC) of the South Carolina Genealogical Society
By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
The Old Darlington District Chapter (ODCC) of the South Carolina Genealogical Society had rented the old Hartsville Depot on 4th Street near Downtown Hartsville for nearly twenty years; the beautiful historic building, located at 114 South Fourth Street, was constructed in 1908 by Atlantic Coastline Railroad Company.
After the Atlantic Coastline Railroad Company (ACL) discontinued the rail service to Hartsville in the 1940’s, the building was revnovated in 1948 and was used as a business office for the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the ACL Railroad Company, Mr. A. Lee M. Wiggins. Wood paneling was installed at that time.
The site was used later as a location for the Hartsville Museum.
The City of Hartsville leased to the Genealogical Library for nearly twenty years, for a dollar a year. “We are very grateful to them for that,” said Andrews. “At the time when we asked to use it, it was empty with broken windows. It worked out really well. I knew when the Hampton Inn came up the property became more valuable. The buyers have promised to keep it on the National Register and they have the wherewithal to restore it.”
The City is working through the historic easements that whoever owns it in the future will also have to keep it on the National Register. “We are working through that with our city attorney Martin Driggers, and Renee Brown Bryant in Augusta GA,” said Andrews. “No deeds have been signed, we are just clearing out now.”
The new owners have expressed a desire to place offices in the building, which pleases Andrews. “We had heard of folks interested in putting in a restaurant at that location, but doing that would necessitate adding big exhaust fans things like that, and that is not the original look and feel of the building. If it is office building, that is something that will keep the look and fees of the time period.”
Photo courtesy of the Old Darlington District Chapter (ODCC) of the South Carolina Genealogical Society
Read more about the move here: Collections of history joined: Old Darlington District Chapter, SCGS Hartsville Genealogical Research Library moves to the Darlington County Historical Commission
