Herndon Depot Museum

Herndon Depot
The former Herndon Depot, now the Herndon Historical Society Museum.
LocationElden Street,
Herndon, Virginia
Coordinates38°58′12.7″N 77°23′08.7″W / 38.970194°N 77.385750°W / 38.970194; -77.385750
Area3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built1857, 1875
NRHP reference No.79003039[1]
VLR No.235-0001
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 18, 1979
Designated VLRApril 17, 1979[2]

The Herndon Depot Museum, also known as the Herndon Historical Society Museum, is located in the town of Herndon in Fairfax County, Virginia.[3] Built in 1857 for the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad, the depot later served the Richmond and Danville Railroad, the Southern Railway and the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad.[4][5] In 1875, the original shed was replaced with the current depot.[6]

The structure is located at 717 Lynn Street, at the intersection of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail and Station Street, north of Elden Street (signed nearby as Virginia State Routes 228 and 606).[7][8] The building is adjacent to Town Hall Square, which contains the Herndon Town Hall, built in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration project to house all of the Town's administrative offices.[4][8]

The museum houses railroad memorabilia, information on United States Navy Commander William Lewis Herndon, for whom the town was named, and artifacts from the USS Herndon (DD-198), from World War II, and from local residents.[9] The Herndon Historical Society operates the museum.[7]

The depot was the site of a raid that Confederate Army Captain John S. Mosby led on St. Patrick's day in March 1863.[10] Mosby and his men surprised the Union Army picket guarding the station and captured officers, soldiers and horses with no Confederate casualties.[10]

The railroad was an integral part of Herndon's agricultural history as large dairy farms surrounded the village.[8][11] Farmers would ship milk on the railroad daily to Washington for processing and distribution.[8] The railroad station became a center of the community.[8] Businesses sprang up around the station, attracted by the ready access to transportation.[8] The depot and its potbellied stove also served as a central meeting place for Herndon citizens. It was in the depot that the name for Herndon was chosen.[6]

With the advent of cars, trucks and better roads, the railroad became less of a necessity for Herndon farmers and residents.[8] The last passenger train rolled through in 1952 turning the depot into a place to unload freight.[6] The last major assignment for the railway was hauling sand to be used in the concrete mix for runways at Washington Dulles International Airport.[8] The railroad and the depot closed in August 1968.[8]

In 1969, business owners wanted the depot torn down, calling it an eyesore, and VEPCO - who owned it - saw it as a fire hazard and was inclined to raze it; but after local historical associations argued to save it and service groups promised to work on it, it was saved.[6][12] In 1970, the Herndon Historical Society was organized and began restoration of the depot, which was completed in 1974.[13]

The depot building is a rectangular, one-story wooden vertical board and batten structure, measuring 70.5 by 20.1 feet (21.5 m × 6.1 m).[4] Victorian style buttresses under the eaves are the building's only decorative feature.[4] The window and door framings and the two baggage doors are original, as are the semaphore and several pieces of hardware.[4]

The Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service of the United States Department of the Interior added the building to the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1979.[4][14] The building's site is marked as part of the Virginia Civil War Trails Program.[10][15]

References

  1. ^ "Herndon Depot". National Register of Historic Places: Digital Archive on NPGallery: National Register Digital Assets. United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service. 79003039. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  2. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  3. ^ (1) "Historic Sites: Herndon Depot Museum". Virginia Tourism Corporation. 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021. "Historic Herndon Depot Museum". Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
    (2) "Town of Herndon History". About Us. Town of Herndon, Virginia. 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021. "Town of Herndon History | Town of Herndon, VA". Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
  4. ^ a b c d e f David, Elizabeth S., Historic Preservation Planner, Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning (April 1979). "Herndon Depot" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service: National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Harwood, Herbert Hawley Jr. (2000). Rails to the Blue Ridge: The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, 1847–1968. Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. ISBN 0-615-11453-9.
  6. ^ a b c d Darney, Jack (September 23, 1969). "Herndon Fathers Vote Tonight on Whether Town Will Keep a Symbol of its Heritage". Northern Virginia Sun. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Herndon Historical Society". Herndon, Virginia: Herndon Historical Society. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Self-Guided Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Herndon Virginia" (PDF). Herndon, VA: The Town of Herndon and Herndon Dulles Visitor's Center. January 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 23, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  9. ^ "Herndon Depot Museum: Herndon, VA". PlacesDiscovered.com. July 14, 2009. Archived from the original on September 19, 2009. Retrieved October 4, 2010. Website contains a video that shows the interior and exterior of the depot museum.
  10. ^ a b c "Mosby's Herndon Station Raid Marker". Virginia Civil War Trails Markers series. HMdb: The Historical Marker Database. March 10, 2006. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  11. ^ "Herndon Station Marker". Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Markers series. HMdb: The Historical Marker Database. March 10, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  12. ^ "Herndon Depot Gains in 'Fight for Life'". September 24, 1969. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  13. ^ "NRHP 1979 Herndon Depot Nomination" (PDF). Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  14. ^ (1) "Herndon Depot". National Register of Historic Places: Digital Archive on NPGallery: National Register Digital Assets. United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service. 79003039. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
    (2) Greenberg, Ronald M. (Acting Chief, National Register of Historic Places). "Virginia: Herndon. Herndon Depot, Elden St." (PDF). Federal Register: March 18, 1980: Part II: Department of the Interior: Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service: National Register of Historic Places; Annual Listing of Historic Properties. 45 (54): 17484. Retrieved January 28, 2020.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    (3) "Herndon Depot". National Register of Historic Places: Virginia – Fairfax County. National Register of Historic Places.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2020..
    (4) "235-0001 Herndon Depot". Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Historic Resources. August 29, 2018. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  15. ^ (1) "Herndon: Mosby's Raid". Virginia Civil War Trails: Northern Virginia: Suburbs of Washington DC. CivilWarTraveler.com. 2007–2010. Archived from the original on July 20, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
    (2) "Brochure: 1861-1865: Northern Virginia: Crossroads and Conflict" (PDF). Civil War Trails Program: Virginia Civil War Trails. Williamsburg, Virginia: civilwartrails.org. Retrieved July 5, 2020. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
    (3) "Map-Guide: 1861-1865: Northern Virginia: Crossroads and Conflict: Map 2" (PDF). Civil War Trails Program: Virginia Civil War Trails. Williamsburg, Virginia: civilwartrails.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
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