A train bandit. Women thinking romantic thoughts about the bandit, or plans to rescue him. A detective on the trail, then the court room scene. Sounds like a movie plot right? But this courtroom scene happened in Boydton, about a train robbery in LaCrosse 113 years ago.
The Sheriff of Mecklenburg was Sheriff Beales. The detective was from the Baldwin Detective Agency. The bandit, was Percy Martin. I wasn’t able to find the conclusion of this story. But here is what the Baltimore Sun reported the following day after court, January 13th, 1907.
Boydton Train Depot about 1956, from Marcus Woodford
When I first saw this picture, I wondered where the depot was? I’d been to Boydton several times but had not seen a depot. I’m told it had been torn down, and that it used to be located on the south side of the tracks on Washington street, (the street seen crossing the tracks in the picture). The old Depot location is circled on the map below blue.
Maps above: 1955, below 2020. Tobacco Heritage Trail is where the old tracks used to be.
I would like to know more about the depot. This wanted ad (from 1902) showed it took 5 hours to travel from Boydton to Richmond, VA. I wonder what it cost to ride? Where did trains go from there? West to Danville, east to Norfolk and northeast to Petersburg and Richmond? When was it torn down? When was it built? Was it there during the Civil War? If so, how interrupted was the service with blockades? Have you visited the Boydton Train Depot or taken the train from there? Do you have any memories of the Depot? If so, let me know.
Thank you Marcus Woodford for sharing your picture and also telling me the old location.
