This newly-restored depot in Denmark has been providing rail service since it was built in the 1920s. Denmark began as a railroad town in the 1830s. Initially called Graham’s Turnout for Captain Z.G. Graham, who sold 17 acres for the establishment of a railroad in 1830, the tracks were part of the Charleston-to-Hamburg rail line of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. The infamous steam locomotive the Best Friend of Charleston traveled a section of that rail line prior to its tragic explosion in 1831. In 1837 Graham’s Turnout was officially chartered as Graham. The name was changed to Denmark in the late 1800s when another rail line was established in the community by the South Bound Railroad, which intersected with the previous track. The name of the town was subsequently changed to honor Captain Isadore Denmark, an official with the South Bound Railroad.
The South Bound Railroad merged with Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1901. The tracks also served the Atlantic Coast Line and Southern railroads before becoming an Amtrak line in 1978. Denmark is one of many stops along the passenger train’s line from Miami to New York. In 2004 Denmark received a $200,000 federal transportation enhancement grant for the depot’s beautification and repair. In conjunction with the grant, the private group Denmark Depot Restoration Society also raised funds to restore the building, which also serves as a museum of Denmark history. The Denmark Depot stands next to the Edisto Drive-In.
I tried to add a comment here a few hours and it did not seem to take. My apologies if it shows up later along with this one. But there seems to be some confusion here. It’s with the line above “The tracks also served the Atlantic Coast Line and Southern railroads before becoming an Amtrak line in 1978.” Atlantic Coast Line ran in another part of the state until 1967 when merged with Seaboard Air Line to become Seaboard Coast Line and present-day CSX. Early on, Denmark had two railroads, the aforementioned Seaboard Air Line, which the current day CSX runs up past the depot, and the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. Through mergers and acquisitions, that railroad became the Southern Railway (and later Norfolk Southern). It has been abandoned through Denmark. Both railroads crossed at a diamond at the current depot. Amtrak still stops at the depot on CSX rails as Amtrak only owns track in the northeastern United States.
Why are the streets not kept clean and trash free? Why do we have so many homes with no one living in them and falling down? Why did we not utilize some of old buildings on Main Street for City Hall? It would cost less and looked better. Why not have a police station and information center open 24 hours a day on Main Street? Increasing taxes and water bills is not the answer. Going up on the cost of living runs more people out of town. Smart people running the town is the answer. if you are not smart, get smart people to help you. Asking for help is smart.
The long time depot agent was my uncle Ira Hutson Marrieds to dads sister Era Fulmer Hutson from Springfield.