A Charleston newspaper writer referred to Spartanburg as a "hub" in the 1880s, but the actual nickname didn't come until years later, when so many trains stopped here or passed through.
Research indicates a large number of trains went through the area during the peak of the railroad system in the 1910s. Since that time, the city has worn the tag "Hub City" like a badge of honor. Local stores and groups have made it part of their official name.
Spartanburg had secured its place in railroad history, but there was a problem. The city wasn't able to tell its story because it didn't have a railroad museum. That has changed.
The city's Convention and Visitors Bureau has organized a railroad museum at the Magnolia Street Train Depot. Organizers are asking for people to donate or loan memorabilia, including items that were shipped or used on the train.
"On a daily basis, people come in and ask if there is any information about the trains," said Lauren Ponder of the visitors' bureau. "It makes sense for us to have a museum here where people can learn more."
The museum's emphasis will lean toward the area's textile heritage and agriculture industry and highlight the lone passenger freight car repair shop from the time. Hayne Shops, which repaired Southern Railway train cars, opened here in 1925.
"The agriculture side was important to Spartanburg County because it shipped more peaches than the state of Georgia," she said. "Textiles also were shipped through Spartanburg. I would like to get a bale of cotton to represent the textiles."
Craig Myers, president of the railway historical society, is donating copies of the telegrams city officials received in the 1920s when they got word that Spartanburg was getting the passenger car shop. He scanned the actual telegrams from railroad archives.
"The Spartanburg chamber was very active during the 1920s and worked to get the car repair shop" Myers said. "The chamber published a book on Spartanburg and used the name Hub City."
Myers said the city became a hub around 1913, when all the rail lines were completed. Southern Railway was the main line; the Piedmont & Northern Railway was a local rail line and one of the busiest.
He also is giving the museum copies of documentation from when the bypass line was created. The bypass stopped trains from running through the heart of the city and moved them to South Pine Street, near where the Ingles store now sits.
"The bypass was built in 1924," he said. "The city wanted the trains out of the middle of the city because automobiles came into use."
The museum is housed at the Magnolia Street Train Station, 298 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg. Donations will be accepted as there will be no charge to enter the museum. Small gift shop items will also be available. The Museum's normal hours will be Saturdays 8am - 2pm and Wednesdays 10am - 2pm with group tours by appointment.
The Hub City Railroad Museum is a collaborative effort between the Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, the National Railway Historical Society and the Spartanburg County Historical Association.
To donate items or set up an appointment call Ponder at 594-5051.
Adopted from an article by Linda Conley for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal
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