The Times and Democrat - Branchville receives $95,000 to repair historic freight depot

BRANCHVILLE – The town of Branchville has received $95,000 from the State Budget and Control Board to make roof repairs on the historic freight depot on Main Street.

That’s good news for Branchville resident Donald Valentine who said action needs to be taken soon on the depot “because the building is deteriorating real fast and it needs to be taken care of.”

The funds have been forwarded to the town, and it is now up to the town council to take action, he said.

Valentine has been working to restore the freight depot even before the state awarded the funds. The freight depot, estimated to be at least 100 years old, was used primarily as an agricultural depot for goods shipped to Charleston.

Valentine said Branchville would benefit from a renovated depot because “of the fact that (the) Heritage Corridor is trying to get people off the interstate and onto the back roads of South Carolina and get them to shop and eat ... so it’s good for the public.”

The Heritage Corridor, formed in 1995 through the National Parks Service and affiliated with the South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism agency, is interested in helping Branchville restore the old freight depot.

Scott Enter, program coordinator, said the agency is willing to work with any group that is interested in preserving historic buildings. Branchville, he said, has a very special site. “I feel there are very few resources in the Heritage Corridor, perhaps in the state, that offers what this depot can offer. It’s very old. Branchville has a real opportunity with where they are in Orangeburg, with the county roads that cross through there, to have some positive heritage tourism come through,” Enter said, “and the freight depot is an opportunity that I hope they will capitalize on.”

The Heritage Corridor has $60,000 in grant funds over the next year and a half that are available to renovate the depot, he said, adding that the agency can also provide technical advisors, including people with restoration experience, to help preserve the building.

“We can help them with raising the visibility of it. We can help them track down the funding, and we are very interested in seeing the town of Branchville succeed in this endeavor,” Enter said.

Local residents like Valentine believe the building could be put to many good uses.

“In my opinion, it could be good for most anything – an artisan’s center like in Walterboro, a concert area for church groups, anybody that wanted to have a meeting,” Valentine said.

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