MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Throughout this year, many of us have taken on new projects. One Milledgeville man has quite the story to tell about his endeavors.
Chuck Cheeves saw an article online about train depots and it was then that he decided to go around the state and photograph every train depot. It took him a couple of years, but he finally finished the project.
“It just became a passion,” he said.
It took weekends and holidays for Cheeves to accomplish his missions; after all, he has a 9-5 job with Baldwin County.
His creative spirit is evident just looking at his car. He calls it the sparkle wagon, and its wheels took him to buildings that all had different personalities.
“There are little county depots that are like wooden frame buildings and you’ve got the one in Stone Mountain or Ringgold that are built of stone,” said Cheeves.
His favorite one sits right in his hometown. It’s the depot at Central State Hospital that served clients dealing with mental illness years ago.
"This depot was unique that you wouldn't walk up and buy a ticket and go somewhere. It basically serviced Central State Hospital," he said.
Georgia Old Capital Heritage Center is renovating the inside, but it’s the outside that sparked his interest in the space.
He says it’s the only one in the state that has a bell cast gable roof.
"I've never seen anything like that and it also has an interesting feature on the front of it. It's called the barge board and it's very ornate and it has the style of the Victorian architecture,” said Cheeves.
He says he didn’t really do in-depth research on many of the stops, so he’s not interested in doing a book, but he does have other plans.
“I’m thinking of creating a web page and so everyone will have access to it,” he said.
Which brings up the question of what’s next for the guy approaching retirement.
“I’ve never ridden on a train in my life,” he said with a laugh.
That just might be the thing to tie it all together.
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