Most Tennesseans Have Never Heard Of This Fascinating Railroad Museum
By Meghan Kraft|Published April 08, 2022
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.
Most folks haven’t heard of the town of Cowan, a rural community tucked away near Tims Ford Lake, but it is one of the most prolific locations in relationship to the Tennessee railroad. The downtown is small and intimate, and the town’s one museum, the Cowan Railroad Museum, provides insight into one of the most oft-forgotten yet pivotal economies in the state. The museum operates seasonally, but with both interior exhibits and exterior memorabilia on display, it is a magical place for adults and children alike.
The town of Cowan, Tennessee is truly tiny, with less than 2,000 folks calling the intimate, rustic enclave home. Located in Franklin County, it is a part of the greater Tullahoma area. Early settlers made the area their home in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, though it remained small. Cowan itself was eventually named for Dr. James Benjamin Cowan, a local doctor who practiced during the Civil War.
The city of Cowan operated around the railroad, and in fact, several branch lines from the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louise Railway ran straight through the Cowan Tunnel. Cowan was an important stop because it was the last on the line before the trains had to climb the steep uphill upon the Cumberland Plateau.
The Cowan Railroad Museum honors the area’s history as well as the legacy of Tennessee’s railroad association. The railroad depot that is now utilized as a museum was built in 1904 and eventually restored for visitors.
There are roughly 1,000 historic artifacts housed in the Cowan Railroad Museum, as well as displays of period costumes, tools, and old maps. Volunteers are constantly seeking to grow the collection, and you can also purchase souvenirs like engineers’ caps and buttons in the small gift shop.
The exterior of the museum is a landscaped park and it’s great for gathering for a picnic lunch or to observe the current day operations in the rea. The observation tower makes it easy for you to watch the trains approach the historic Cowan train tunnel. It’s a neat experience, one that local volunteers are more than happy to help explain.
The Cowan Railroad Museum is open seasonally from May through October, and it costs $2 for every adult visitor, $1 for children, or $5 for a family. Admission is free to members of the museum as well as those serving in the United States military. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
What a neat place to visit! Most folks don’t even know this historic gem is hiding in Cowan, and it’s worth a visit. You can learn more about the Cowan Railroad Museum either on its official Facebook page or website.
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