Clinton Depot
Why it's listed
Brick railroad depot and freight station on the outskirts of old downtown Clinton, Sampson County, North Carolina, built between 1915 and 1926 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The complex combines a 42-foot passenger section with dual waiting rooms and segregated facilities, an enclosed freight room measuring 30 by 210 feet, and an open covered platform, all under low hip roofs with wide eaves on large triangular brackets. Its handsome passenger section is regarded as an excellent survivor of the many similar depots built across the South during the first third of the twentieth century. The railroad reached Clinton by a spur line from Warsaw on April 1, 1887, and it enabled local farmers to distribute crops more readily. Regular train service ended years ago, and the depot's importance rests on its link to that railroad era and to the changes that followed the decline of rail transportation. The building has been vacant apart from storage use for a long time.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the depot is an important reminder of the era when railroads were a major means of transportation in small-town North Carolina. It is presented as a representative example of the many similar depots built across the South in the early twentieth century, and as the place where passenger and freight functions were combined under one roof. The site is also said to be likely to yield archaeological information, though no investigation has been done.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86000555, listed March 17, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W. Elizabeth St., Clinton |
|---|---|
| County | Sampson County |
| Listed | March 17, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000555 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant except for storage for many years; conversion to a deli and shops has begun. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Within district | Clinton Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 34.99413, -78.32310 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86000555.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19865169
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.