Buechel Terrace Neighborhood Association

The Buechel Train Station

Jun 21, 2006

Constructed at the beginning of the last century and operated by the Southern Railway, the Buechel Train Station was moved to 2230 Buechel Avenue almost 20 years ago.

G.S. Carpenter was appointed the station manager in 1907. At the time he was just 21 years old and he continued on the job for the next 53 years. He saw Buechel grow from a row of houses to a major suburb. In his later years, he told family and friends that there were only a dozen houses, a general store, three saloons, and three blacksmith shops in the area when he first came to work at the Buechel Train Station. (His daughter, Mrs. Ruth Kleinsteuber, is presently a member of the train station presevation committee.)

The train station went on to serve nearby communities for many years as both a passenger facility and a distribution center for local produce and other farm products. Eventually, it became the largest distribution point in Jefferson County for locally grown vegetables. In 1915, 300 carloads of potatoes, 100 carloads of onions, and 50 carloads of cabbages were shipped from here according to The Jeffersonian newspaper.

During the 1937 Ohio River flood, the station was a staging area for a wide range of relief efforts. Fire engines, various kinds of equipment, food, clothing, medicines, and other needed items were unloaded from freight trains at Buechel and re-distributed to other parts of the county.

Trains arriving from downtown Louisville also brought flood refugees. These families were settled by local churches to homes in the neighborhood and when necessary other parts of the county and state.

Among these refugees were the executives and clerical employees of the Southern Railway offices downtown. Flood waters had overwhelmed the furnace in the company's office buidling, thus forcing the office workers to relocate to higher ground.

In 1989, the station was moved from its original location near the railroad crossing at old Bardstown Road in the center of Buechel to a 4.4 acre park less than one mile down the railroad tracks. The new location had been donated by Buechel area business leader, Bill Collins.

Today, the old station is a focal point for educational activities and neighborhood events.

A tragedy at the beginning -- Only months before the station was constructed, local resident Sallie Scroggans was killed tragically by a passing train as she waited trackside in Buechel to board an outbound train soon to arrive from downtown Louisville. She had been expecting to join a group of friends heading for a party at the home of Henry Watterson in Jeffersontown when tragedy struck.

To their horror, Miss Scroggans' friends arrived in Buechel shortly after to find her lying near the tracks. At the time, there had been an outdoor boarding platform located in between the main track and the siding.

Ironically, the property on which the station was soon to be constructed had been donated by Miss Scorggans' brother, Charles Scroggins.

More History -- See www.srha.net and www.nscorp.com for the history of the Southern Railway.