Hamlet, NC (HAM)
Hamlet, NC Station (HAM)
Following a renovation that included moving and rotating the historic structure, the depot now serves as a museum and the site of a popular annual railroad festival. (Amtrakdeals.com)
Address: 2 Main Street, Hamlet, NC 28345
Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2024): $415,599
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2024): 4,287
Ownership & Routes
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Facility Ownership | City of Hamlet |
| Parking Lot Ownership | City of Hamlet |
| Platform Ownership | CSX Transportation |
| Track Ownership | CSX Transportation |
History & Context
The station building is the only Victorian Queen Anne style train station in North Carolina. It was constructed in 1900 for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, serving both as a passenger station and division headquarters. It was built where the Raleigh & Augusta Air Line and Central Carolina Railway lines crossed.
A major restoration was completed in 2004 at a cost of $11.7 million, a partnership between the City of Hamlet and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), using federal transportation funds. The restoration project planning started in 1997. In 1999, CSX raised concerns about restoring a building surrounded by active tracks, so the decision was made to move the station to a safer location, rotate it 90° and align it along Main Street.
In 2001, CSX sold the station to the City of Hamlet for $1. In 2002, a 1942 brick addition was demolished and the original structure was stabilized. In March 2003 the moving company began work; by April 4 the station had been moved 210 feet across the tracks to its new foundation and stabilized. Renovations began that summer and were completed by fall 2004.
The station was dedicated to Board of Transportation member G. R. Kindley. It received the Historic Preservation Society of North Carolina’s 2005 Carraway Award for outstanding public-agency preservation. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1992.
In the late 1800s, John Shortridge built a woolen and saw mill along Marks Creek in North Carolina’s Sand Hills. In 1879, a railroad from Wilmington passed through what became Hamlet to the Pee Dee River, joining a line to Charlotte. Another railroad was being built from Raleigh through to Augusta; local residents influenced its crossing through Hamlet. The town was named “Hamlet” because Shortridge remarked that in his native England small villages were called hamlets. The town was incorporated in 1897.
Hamlet grew because of the railroads, offering hospitality for travellers between New York and Florida. By 1936 the town was called the “Hub of the Seaboard,” with five Seaboard Air Line Railroad lines leaving the city and about 30 passenger-train departures each day. Freight trains still come to Hamlet via CSX maintenance shops. Locals host a railroad-themed “Seaboard Festival Day” each year on the fourth Saturday in October.
The depot now houses a museum that tells the region’s rail history, with hands-on exhibits, visual displays and interactive consoles. The town is also the birthplace of jazz legend John Coltrane and the first African-American Marine Corps officer, Frederick C. Branch.
Features
Station Building (with waiting room)
- ATM: Not available
- Elevator: Not available
- Payphones: Available
- Quik-Trak kiosks: Available
- Restrooms: Not available
- Unaccompanied child travel: Not allowed
- Vending machines: Not available
- WiFi: Not available
- Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure
Baggage
- Amtrak Express shipping: Not available
- Checked baggage service: Not available
- Checked baggage storage: Not available
- Bike boxes: Not available
- Baggage carts: Not available
- Ski bags: Not available
- Shipping boxes: Not available
- Baggage assistance: Not available
Parking
- Same-day parking: Available; fees may apply
- Overnight parking: Available; fees may apply
Accessibility
- Payphones: Yes (accessible)
- Accessible platform: Yes
- Accessible restrooms: Yes
- Accessible ticket office: No
- Accessible waiting room: Yes
- Accessible water fountain: Yes
- Same-day accessible parking: Available; fees may apply
- Overnight accessible parking: Available; fees may apply
- No high platform; No wheelchair (ramp)
- Wheelchair lift: Available
Hours
- Station Waiting Room Hours:
Mon–Sun: 12:00 am–12:30 am | 05:30 am–07:00 am | 10:30 pm–11:59 pm - Ticket Office Hours: No ticket office at this location
- Passenger Assistance Hours: None
- Checked Baggage Service: None
- Parking Hours: None specified
- Quik-Trak Kiosk Hours: Same as waiting room hours
- Lounge Hours: None
- Amtrak Express Hours: None
Summary
The Hamlet station is a historic landmark reflecting the golden era of rail travel in North Carolina. Its Victorian architecture, relocation and restoration demonstrate remarkable civic effort. Today it serves as a station, museum and community festival site—combining rail heritage with local culture. Visitors should plan ahead given limited amenities (e.g., no restrooms, no WiFi) and check parking or accessibility arrangements as needed.
