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Abstract
Preserving historic rural railroad depots keeps the history of the railroad in small communities ever-present. Railroads are a very important part of the history of our country. Many of the 8,000 remaining train stations and depots in the United States are being rehabilitated by historic preservationists. Adaptive use of train depots is a way to save the historic architecture. This investigation explores the architectural and community factors for the rehabilitation and adaptive use of railroad depots in North Georgia from Elberton to West Point. There are many possibilities for adaptive use of train depots: restaurants, coffee shops, museums, event spaces, popup spaces, clubs, and nonprofit organizations. This study employs railroad history, railroad depot architecture, and case studies. The purpose of this study is to answer the question: can communities benefit from adaptive use of railroad depots?