There is a small, old home on Chamblee Dunwoody Road that was once one of three railroad section houses in Dunwoody. In 1994, two were demolished. It happened very suddenly and without warning. The houses were part of the Roswell Railroad line that ran from Roswell, through Dunwoody, to Chamblee from 1881 until 1921. They were built as housing for men who worked on the railroad line.
Demolished railroad section house
The engine that ran on the Roswell Railroad were Dinkey and later Buck. The train went back and forth three times every day. There was nowhere for it to turn around, so the train traveled backwards from Roswell and forwards from Chamblee. The Dunwoody Station was between where Chevron and CVS are today, along Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
It was after the two railroad section houses were demolished, that Lynne Byrd and Joyce Amacher founded Dunwoody Preservation Trust. DPT was originally an offshoot of the Dunwoody Homeowner’s Association. The two women had already begun identifying older homes in the Dunwoody area. Wooden plaques were made and displayed at older homes and other historic sites.
An early preservation project was saving the Spruill-Cheek farmhouse. In case you weren’t in Dunwoody yet, the fundraising efforts included an auction, t-shirt and button sales, and $3,500 was raised by local schools. Jim Perkins, who was writing about history for the Dunwoody Crier at the time, raised $25,000 by selling historical maps and asking for personal donations from his former Bellsouth coworkers. Today, we can enjoy the sight of this tranquil spot every day thanks to the community’s efforts.
Railroad Section house on Chamblee Dunwoody Road that still stands today.
When construction on the Boston Market Restaurant began on the site of the two section houses, Jim Perkins asked the construction workers to be on the lookout for relics of the train. They found a couple of railroad ties and contacted Jim to let him know.
The only engineer for Buck was Ike Roberts, and his home remains on Roberts Drive. It is located on the section that runs between Dunwoody Place and Roswell Road. The home is recognized by DPT and also as a National Historic Site. The Roswell Station stood nearby, just a little bit south on Roswell Road. The train was originally intended to cross the Chattahoochee River into Roswell, but it ended up stopping just south of Roberts Drive.
Today the remaining railroad section house is home to the Dunwoody location of Community Music Center. This last reminder of the Roswell Railroad should be preserved for future generations.
An early preservation project was saving the Spruill-Cheek farmhouse. In case you weren’t in Dunwoody yet, the fundraising efforts included an auction, t-shirt and button sales, and $3,500 was raised by local schools. Jim Perkins, who was writing about history for the Dunwoody Crier at the time, raised $25,000 by selling historical maps and asking for personal donations from his former Bellsouth coworkers. Today, we can enjoy the sight of this tranquil spot every day thanks to the community’s efforts.
When construction on the Boston Market Restaurant began on the site of the two section houses, Jim Perkins asked the construction workers to be on the lookout for relics of the train. They found a couple of railroad ties and contacted Jim to let him know.
The only engineer for Buck was Ike Roberts, and his home remains on Roberts Drive. It is located on the section that runs between Dunwoody Place and Roswell Road. The home is recognized by DPT and also as a National Historic Site. The Roswell Station stood nearby, just a little bit south on Roswell Road. The train was originally intended to cross the Chattahoochee River into Roswell, but it ended up stopping just south of Roberts Drive.
The two section houses that were demolished were replaced with a Boston Market restaurant. Later a Synovus Bank was constructed on the site and it is still there today.
Today the remaining railroad section house is home to the Dunwoody location of Community Music Center. This last reminder of the Roswell Railroad should be preserved for future generations.