From Near Collapse to New Life: Grand Junction Depot Restoration Continues

09/16/2026 Grand Junction Depot

By: Cissye Pierce

In the summer of 2014, a group of interested people got together to talk about the Grand Junction Depot Building. It was collapsing and Mayor Lane was concerned! Saplings were growing through the roof and parts of the foundation timbers were rotted. What was to be done with it? It was becoming an eyesore, but yet, it’s the only surviving Depot building in Hardeman County.

This group of people decided that it was indeed worth saving. The trains and railroads are so much a part of the history of Grand Junction. It was named as such because it was the cross meeting place of the Mississippi Central Railroad and the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. It was sought after during the War Between the States by both the North and South because of its strategic location. It boomed during Reconstruction, while others faltered. The first field trials were held by gentlemen from Memphis stepping off the train and being met by the Ames wagons to proceed to the Plantation for hunting. A young man named Thomas Edison was a telegraph operator at Grand Junction. The town was famous around the turn of the 20th century for its pottery. The trains shipped it all over the country! People regularly rode the trains to Memphis for shopping.

The Depot should be a place to celebrate all of this history! A vision, a mission and a nonprofit organization were formed. It is called the Grand Junction Depot Museum Corporation.

By 2015, the State of Tennessee had approved a charter for this corporation and the board members were: Kathy Ledbetter, Scott Ledbetter, Earl Smith, Jamie Evans, Lou Kerns, Ken Savage, Cissye Pierce, Rex Brotherton and Gerald Wade. These board members raised the money to start with the initial phase of restoring the Depot.

By 2018, the roof, floors, and foundation timbers had been restored and the Depot was in the dry! After several more years, the windows were repaired and paint was applied. A Depot sign was added. The Hess family then deeded more land to the corporation. New board members were added: Jonathon Harris, Angela Krannichfeld, and Ransom Crenshaw.

The next phase is ready to begin! Let’s make this Depot a place for all of Grand Junction to be proud of. We’ll need your help and support. Please join us at the Crafts Fair on October 10th at the Lafayette Gin in Grand Junction as we share with you about this project and raise money to support it. At that time, you’ll be given a free ticket that will admit you to the inside of the Depot to see its real charm! Small donations would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to the Grand Junction Depot Museum Corporation, PO Box 353, Grand Junction, TN 38309. More Progress on the way!

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