NS, museum team up to save Southern Railway Kentucky storehouse

LUDLOW, Ky. – Norfolk Southern and the Ludlow Heritage Museum have signed a lease agreement to preserve the NS-owned former Southern Railway Ludlow Yard Store House building, the last remaining original structure in Ludlow used by the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway, which was leased to Southern in 1894. The agreement allows museum officials to renovate the building and repurpose it into its new headquarters.

“The Ludlow community has a rich railroad history, and the Ludlow Heritage Museum was the natural partner to help preserve this historic building on our Ludlow Yard property,” says Kathleen Smith, vice president of business development and real estate for Norfolk Southern. “This lease agreement provides an opportunity for the store house to once again have a beneficial use, as a new home for the museum’s team and a space where the community can gather.”

The store house was built in the late 1880s. The 3,600-square-foot round-arched brick-and-stone building originally served as the Ludlow Offices and Stores building and then was used as a supply shop to store rail parts.

“This is a special opportunity to restore the last remaining building in Ludlow from the earliest days of the American railroad,” says Mark Mitchell, president of the Ludlow Heritage Museum. “Once completed, the site will create more museum space and provide additional room for meetings and events. We are very grateful to Norfolk Southern as we begin this historic preservation project.”

The Ludlow Heritage Museum will manage the project and has created a committee to help develop a comprehensive renovation plan that will include a renovation timeline and fundraising goals. Museum officials plan to nominate the building to the National Register of Historic Places. For more information on the Ludlow Heritage Museum and fundraising campaign, visit Ludlow Storehouse.