THOMASVILLE — When Betty and Gary Tucker first saw the interior of Thomasville’s train depot more than 20 years ago, it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Neglect and the passing of more than three decades since its last riders departed their passenger cars had taken a toll. The exterior of the building also had fallen on hard times.

But in its day the 8,413 square foot station was a hub of commerce for the region, and in the era before the automobile it was the zenith of transportation for nearly 100 years.

The busiest years for the depot, the second built in the city, was during the world war, said Tom Hill, former curator of the Thomas County History Society.

“During World War I and World War II, that was when everything went by rail,” he said. “We have photos of the ladies meeting the troop trains, giving them watermelon. They would exchange addresses so they could write.”

The original station was built in the 1880s, Hill said, and the current building was constructed around 1915.

Although the automobile had started to make inroads, with the first 12 miles of the Dixie Highway completed in 1915, the lack of substantial roadways kept passenger trains in command for some time, Hill said, with the biggest non-war period use still to come.

“The ‘20s probably would have been the heyday of the railroad, excepting the world wars,” he said.

The Atlantic-Gulf line, which was connected to Thomasville in April 1961, also played a role in the Civil War, according to information provided by the History Society. From 1861-1864 the Atlantic-Gulf train moved food to Confederate armies, and in December 1964 5,000 union prisoners of war were moved to Thomasville from Andersonville by rail.

The construction cost was $13,500, and the trip from Thomasville to Savannah took 13 hours.

“Thomas County’s and Thomasville’s financial success after the Civil War was largely shaped by the railroads,” Historical Society curator Ephraim J. Rotter wrote. “All during this period hotels were built near railroad stops in Thomasville.”

Other cities and towns in the county also benefited, with Meigs and Pavo growing during the late 1800s due to the railroad. In 1900 Barwick was incorporated as a result of the train coming through, and the following year Coolidge was incorporated when a new line connected Thomasville to Tifton.

And in 1888 Metcalfe was incorporated when the railroad was extended from Thomasville to Monticello.

Despite the rich history, just seven years after the bustling years of World War II, passenger train service ended in 1952, Gary Tucker said.

In the late 1980s the city of Thomasville, which had purchased the building, asked for proposals on renovating the depot and the Tuckers were selected. They purchased it in 1987 and set about reviving it.