The Old Depot Museum is located at the old L&N Railroad Depot at the end of historic Water Avenue in downtown Selma. The Depot building was built on the site of the Confederate Naval Foundry which was destroyed by Federal troops during the Battle of Selma in 1865. The red brick, stone trimmed building of Romanesque Revival architecture was built ca. 1890. It is one of 12 railroad depots in the Southeast designated by Southern Living to be of architectural and historical importance. The building is a contributing property to Selma’s “Water Avenue Historic District” that listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the old Depot is an interpretive history museum that has an impressive collection of artifacts and memorabilia depicting life in Selma and Dallas County from the days of the pre-historic Indians who lived in the region, to the time before and after the Civil War, and up through America’s days of the Civil Rights Movement. The Old Depot Museum is a testament to the various cultures and people who contributed to the development of the Black Belt region of Alabama. There are also several exhibits located outside the Old Depot building including antique railcars, a Victorian Firehouse where visitors can view Selma’s first fire bell, a horse drawn steam-powered fire pump, and an American LaFrance fire truck.