The town of Selma in the U.S. state of North Carolina is home to a train station that sits at the crossing of two major railroad lines. The town has a history with the railroad that goes back to before Selma became an official town. Mitchener Station, the town’s original train station, was built in 1855. Today, it is currently abandoned as it rests just a short ways from the current Union Station where Amtrak stops today.
Some of you are saying, “If it is abandoned, why do they not just demolish it?”
It is an old train station. Many do get demolished. However, Mitchener Station in Selma, North Carolina is not just a rotting train station.
What is special about Mitchener Station? As mentioned, it was built in 1855 long before the town was chartered. It is also the oldest surviving train station in North Carolina. Is that it? The answer is no. The train station was also controlled by the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The North Carolina Governor met with the soldiers. They occupied the station until the Union Army attacked the station causing the Confederate Army to flee.
Today, there are attempts to restore the train station. As for now, it is not open to the public. It is in its original location at Railroad Street and Railford Street one block east of U.S. Route 301 and minutes from Interstate 95.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 