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Railroad Depot Restored, Opens as a Museum in Lee Hall
Just about 10 miles down the road from Williamsburg’s modernized Amtrak train station sits a testament to the Virginia Peninsula’s railroad passenger service history and its surrounding area. After more than 20 years in the making, Lee Hall Depot has been officially restored as a museum and is open to visitors.
The historic site just over the city line on Route 60 in Newport News opened earlier this month. Free 30-minute guided tours are being offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the remaining Saturdays in June. Reservations are required (www.eventbrite.com/e/lee-hall-depot-tours-tickets-156744100825) for tours.
Anne Miller, superintendent of historic services for the Newport News Parks, Recreation and Tourism department, told The Daily Press in a recent newspaper article that “We could have done an exhibit or a museum about railroads or about train cars, but what’s really special about this exhibit is that it’s about Lee Hall Village and Warwick County — it’s a building that was really here in the past.”
Built in 1881, the depot served as a train stop until the 1970s. CSX, formerly C&O Railroad, donated the building to the City of Newport News in the 1990s with the understanding that it be moved away from the current tracks. The building was eventually moved an appropriate distance and exterior renovations were completed in 2014.
The depot is now a small museum about trains and area history. Interior renovations are complete. Period rooms, such as the station master’s living quarters, and interactive displays, including a children’s area and engine cab simulator are available. More will be provided as funds become available.
The address is 9 Elmhurst Street, Newport News, VA 23603.
You can learn more about Lee Hall Depot by going to http://leehalldepot.org/home.