The Train Depot at Terry, MS

Last evening, I was going through some photos of my niece's lovely wedding last April. The ceremony took place at The First Baptist Church in Terry, Mississippi, an old church that is still very active in this small town of slightly over 700 people. Needless to say, my niece was a beautiful bride, her groom was handsome, and our families and their guests had a wonderful time.


Following the afternoon ceremony, we traveled a few blocks away for the reception at the old Terry Train Depot, an historic building that has been refurbished and used for events such as my niece's wedding reception. The picture here was taken as we approached the front doors to the depot on the evening of the reception. Note the mileage between Chicago and Jackson and New Orleans and Jackson above the doors.





I had not been to Terry for many years, but the small town, located about 15 miles southwest of Jackson, was much as I last remembered it. It was during this trip to the wedding and the reception that I first learned the story of the reclamation of the Terry Train Depot.


The area that later became the town of Terry, Mississippi, was established in 1811 by settlers from Virginia. Terry did not become an official town until 1877, when the Illinois Central Railroad came through the area. For some reason I don't know, the old Train Depot building was moved from Terry in the 1950's to Parham Bridges Park in Jackson. But sometime during the 1990's, a group called Friends of Terry, with some help from the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, successfully returned the historic building to the town of Terry, Mississippi. After the depot's return to the town, the group known as Friends of Terry was instrumental in raising funds to restore it.

Although many newly married couples may remember the Train Depot as the place they cut their wedding cake and danced the night away, this lovely old building stands as a wonderful reminder of the railroad's contribution to many small towns in Mississippi and elsewhere.