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Herndon Depot Museum

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Coordinates: 38°58′12.7″N 77°23′08.7″W / 38.970194°N 77.385750°W / 38.970194; -77.385750
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Herndon Depot
The former Herndon Depot, now the Herndon Historical Society Museum.
Herndon Depot Museum is located in Northern Virginia
Herndon Depot Museum
Herndon Depot Museum is located in Virginia
Herndon Depot Museum
Herndon Depot Museum is located in the United States
Herndon Depot 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

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  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. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 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. 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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