Welcome
Located in DeKalb County the Fort Payne Depot Museum serves up to 3500 visitors each year. The unique Richardsonian Romanesque building housing the museum is constructed from locally quarried pink and white sandstone and served as a train depot for the Alabama-Great Southern Railroad for approximately 85 years.
Today the museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes both the Depot Museum and Annex. Visitors can view our collections from local DeKalb and Fort Payne history with several permanent and rotating collections.
Our collections include the Gussie Killian Collection, containing extensive examples of Native American basketry, pottery, and artifacts. The exhibit of L. A. Dobbs, includes memorabilia from the Civil War, World War I and II as well as the Vietnam War. Also, artifacts from the Railroad.The Depot Annex, located in the Fort Payne Coal & Iron Building, houses our rotating exhibits along with our substantial collection of dioramas by Steve Fiora.
The Caboose
Our 1971 Norfolk Southern Caboose was gifted to the museum in 1987. Inside you will see a colorful mural hand painted by a local artist showcasing the historical buildings.
This caboose is a wonderful old relic of a bygone era in the railroads and is open on a seasonal basis (closed during the winter months). The caboose is preserved with all of the functional details from the time when it was actively used on the railroad. Children can enjoy the outside play area as well.
