Freight House restoration reveals treasures from city’s railroad past

By By Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Once upon a time, the red brick building in downtown Hartselle was the center of the city's activities. Located just down from the Depot adjacent to the raiload tracks, it served as the commercial hub for the city. Trains brought in their wares and people were always coming and going.
Then, with the decline of the railroad, the old building closed, opening from time to time to serve host to a variety of businesses. Now, the location is being reborn as Freight House restaurant and is, once again, a center of community activities.
The positive changes have been brought on, in part, by the restoration activities at the restaurant.
"It's a great building and we wanted to continue its tradition," Sandra Sowder, one of Freight House's owners, said. "So much has happened here through the years and the building reflects that."
In two cases, the building's history is literally as clear as the writing on the wall.
On one wall, E.C. Oden, a former employee during the railroad days, wrote a grocery list on the wall. Sowder said they decided to leave the writing, including Oden's name, right where he left it.
A recent effort to add Freight House's logo on the outside of the building revealed another piece of history as well. Workers found the original C&S logo on the side of the building. Freight House's new logo is an appliqu/ that went over it, so the original will be protected and preserved.
The history doesn't stop there, though. Throughout the restaurant, reminders of the building's past remain.
There's the old cotton scales, bolted down and too heavy to move; the thick walls in between the dining room and kitchen, each made of crossties; the numbers over each arched door, a one-time indicator of drop offs and pickups.
The old ticket booth is still there, as are some of the original roll up doors.
Other items, such as the railroad signal sign at the front of the building, were salvaged from a railroad graveyard in Elkmont, Tenn.
The building is included on the National Historic Register. And, if Sowder has her way, she's like to see one more thing added.
"I'd love to see a railroad car out here," she said, pointing to the parking lot. "That would make it complete."