Niota Depot history
Then called Mouse Creek, the community that would become Niota first appeared in official war records when a Union spy reported that a Confederate company was stationed there in January 1862, according to historical information posted on the property. Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside occupied East Tennessee in September 1863 and troops later occupied the rail line, including Mouse Creek.The little depot was garrisoned by artillery units at times and was unique in that its brick structure meant timber fortifications against attack were unneeded. On the front and back of the building, soldiers had removed bricks to create gun ports for defending the building.Although Confederate troops in the last year of the war tore up the tracks for miles north and south of Mouse Creek, the depot remained in Union hands until the war ended. Company C, 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery stayed at the depot until July 1865.
NIOTA, Tenn. – A chimney collapse earlier this year might have spelled the end for the 161-year-old Niota Depot in northern McMinn County, but luck and love collaborated to keep damage to a minimum and renew an effort at preservation.
“On all of the outside we are working on new guttering, improved drainage, new decking that meets [Americans with Disabilities Act] requirements and [new mortar for] the brick,” Mayor Lois Preece said.
Missing brick will be replaced, too, she said. Some of the brick from the chimney that collapsed will be used for repairs.
The work is funded through a $192,000 Tennessee Department of Transportation enhancement grant, which includes a 20-percent local match that will be funded by McMinn County, Preece said. The Niota Depot Preservation Committee will fund architectural, engineering and any other related expenses not covered by the grant. Preece added she was grateful to the Southeast Tennessee Development District for helping with the grant.
No city funds will be needed for the work, and most of the work will be outside, she said.
“It’s all in good shape on the interior,” Preece said.
The building was listed this year on the Tennessee Preservation Trust’s 10 most endangered historic properties in the state because the chimney collapse that caused city offices to be closed possibly invited condemnation and demolition. The depot made the list of most endangered structures in 2009.
Preece said the depot won’t be torn down now that repairs and improvements are underway.
The Niota Depot, once called Mouse Creek Station when the town bore the same name, was built in 1854. It is the oldest standing depot in Tennessee and the only surviving Civil War-era depot along the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad line, according to officials and historical information posted on the property.
All that history seems to seep from the wooden walls inside the depot, especially in the large baggage room where people scrawled their names in the mid- to late 1800s and early 1900s. There are several references to “Mouse Creek,” and some appear to have been left by Civil War soldiers.
On Wednesday, the baggage room was warm and dry though cluttered with chairs, tables and other odds and ends used for gatherings at the depot. A stage has been built on the north end of the room.
Water Department clerk Jennie Cagle, who often gives visitors a quick tour of the building, is happy preservation work will start soon and was glad to return to the old building after repairs were made.
“It’s like being back home,” Cagle said.
Niota resident Edward Doten loves the old depot and said he is glad of efforts to preserve it.
“This building has really got character,” said Doten, who was paying his water bill and dropped off some mail on Tuesday. “It’s beautiful.”
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.