Hicksford-Emporia Train Depot

Emporia is home to one of the oldest railroad stations in Virginia. The station, which was built in 1908, has been restored to its former glory and now serves as a community center and gathering place for events.

(Historic Marker Number UM-44.)

“The Petersburg Railroad was constructed in the early 1830s between Petersburg, Virginia and Weldon, North Carolina, through the towns of Belfield and Hicksford (present-day Emporia). It is considered the first railroad in the South built in a north-south direction. During the Civil War, the railroad carried food and equipment to Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. A skirmish on 8 December 1864 destroyed the tracks here and temporarily disrupted Lee’s supply route. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad bought the Petersburg Railroad in 1893. In 1967, it was renamed the Seaboard Coast Line and in 1985 the CSX Railroad.”

Erected 1995 by Department of Historic Resources.