 Thomson Depot |
The Thomson Commercial Historic District consists of the concentration of historic commercial, warehouse, and transportation related buildings in downtown Thomson. These buildings date from the mid-19th century through the early 20th century.
Most are one-to-two stories in height and are built of brick with uniform sidewalk setbacks and party walls. Many feature historic storefronts on their ground floor levels and decorative brickwork above. Three three-story buildings highlight the historic area.
Other historic buildings in the district include a former municipal building, a former post office, a theater, and a railroad depot, and several small warehouses. The buildings are late 19th and early 20th century one-, two-, and three-story buildings constructed of both red and buff colored brick and represent Neoclassical, Italianate, Colonial Revival and simple utilitarian commercial styles.
Decorative brick cornices, transom and segmental arched windows, and string courses are common design elements found within the district. Designs for structures developed more complexity as the community grew and developed. This is seen in some of the multi-story buildings and bank buildings.
 Women of the Sixties, II this statue is unique in that it honors the women who aided and supported the civil War effort. |
A contributing object is the granite statue of a woman in a homespun dress carrying a banner of the Confederacy. Known as the "Women of the Sixties, II this statue is unique in that it honors the women who aided and supported the civil War effort. Names of all the Confederate participants from the area are listed on either side of the monument's base. The statue was placed in Memorial Park between 1910 and 1920 and is located near the rail depot.
All of the buildings are of masonry construction in compliance with an ordinance passed in 1888 after a fire had destroyed a great many of the wood frame structures in the commercial district. The four exceptions are the Masonic Temple, the 1905 Neal Building, the 1913 Stacy Turner Building, and the 1914 city Hall/Firehouse.
The development of the Thomson commercial district was primarily to support the transportation center of the railroad with cotton as the main cash crop. The district retains a fairly intact concentration of buildings which represent a historic commercial/shipping center with the one-story, granite depot built in 1860, continuing to be the main focus for the district.
References
Raflo, Lisa. National register of Historic Places Application. 2/8/1989
The 2008 Renovation of the Thomson Historic District
The City of Thomson was a recipient of an $890,000 Transportation Enhancement Grant through the Department of Transportation. Through this grant the city has embarked upon a sweeping downtown revitalization program. The new program included new sidewalks and beautification, such as trees being planted along Main Street, as well as new parking, crosswalks and street lighting.
