Reviewed by:
Everything you need to know about the rich history behind The Depot in Auburn
A couple of things that Auburn, Alabama does not lack in the slightest are good food and cool history. The Depot is both of these things combined! We have found everything you might want to know about The Depot in Auburn—past and present.
The Depot’s history
The Depot that we know and love today used to be a train station in Auburn that was built in 1847. These tracks became an important part of the Confederate efforts during the Civil War years and ran routes from Lee County to Selma, Montgomery, and Atlanta.
The Union Army, lead by Major General Lovell Harrison Rousseau, attacked the railroad tracks in 1864 in an attempt to halt the transportation of military supplies. The Depot’s tracks were completely twisted and ruined in Rousseau’s Raiders invasion.
After the war ended in 1865, the second Depot was built back up in 1870. This was a prime time for transportation by train and through this, a fun Auburn tradition was born. In 1896, Auburn University played their rival, Georgia Tech, at home. Auburn students greased the train tracks, causing the incoming team’s train to slide right past the station, forcing have to walk all the way back in town for the game. The Tigers went on to win in a nail-biter of a game by a whopping score of 45-0.
Since then
The Depot was rebuilt again in 1904, after burning down when it was struck by lightning. Since transportation by car and plane were becoming increasingly more popular, the Depot sold its last train ticket in 1970.
Cary-Pick Realty opened up later inside of the old Depot and was there until 2003. It sat empty for over 10 years just waiting for someone to turn it into something amazing.
Then came along Matt and Jana Poirier who moved here from California in 2012. They saw all of the potential that the old train station had, and they wanted to honor that while also creating something new.
They restored The Depot and opened it up as a fine dining restaurant for the Auburn Community in 2015. They used wood and stone from the original building in some of the finishing touches to incorporate a piece of the rich history.
The Depot currently
Now, The Depot is one of Auburn’s only seafood restaurants. They have many different types of food available and themed nights. For instance, they have Tapas Tuesdays, Sushi and Spirits on Wednesdays, Oyster nights on Thursdays, and various specials. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 5-9pm, but are closed on Sunday and Monday. We recommend the most popular item on the menu, which is the Sweet Tea Brined Beeler Farms Can Can Pork Chop.
This place really does combine amazing food with a cool back story to make the perfect place to visit. Now that you know the history behind it, go check out The Depot for yourself!
