Union station was built in 1912 to serve passenger trains of the
Albany and Northern,
Atlantic Coast Line (ACL),
Central of Georgia,
Georgia Northern, and
Seaboard Air Line railroads, replacing an earlier 1857 depot. Major
Louisville & Nashville and ACL trains making stops there included
Seminole (Chicago-Florida),
Flamingo (Cincinnati-Florida),
City of Miami (Chicago-Florida),
Dixie Flyer (Chicago and St. Louis to Florida),
Dixie Limited (Chicago-Florida), and
Southland (Cincinnati-Florida). An unnamed service by the Central of Georgia operated through the station, from Atlanta, making a layover in Albany, and continuing to the
Gulf Coast resort of
Panama City, Florida. The
City of Miami was the last passenger train to operate out of Albany in 1971. In 1974, concerned and community-spirited citizens championed the cause for revitalization of the historic downtown railroad depot area. Thronateeska Heritage Foundation, Inc. resulted from the merger of the Southwest Georgia Historical Society, organized in 1969, and the Albany Junior Museum, Inc., founded in 1959 by the Junior League of Albany. Through Thronateeska's efforts, the 1913 Union Station depot, located in what is now known as Heritage Plaza, was preserved as a legendary landmark, converted into a museum, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. ==References==