Residents press council to restore depot display room as city attorney says town retains title

Phyllis Crow, a longtime Oliver Springs volunteer, asked the council during public comment to reinstate a third museum room at the town depot after she said the space used to display donated model trains was reassigned without notice.

"I would just like to request ... that a council member would resend that old motion that was done 31 years ago, and reinstate that third room back to the museum so that our trains can be displayed," Crow said, describing years of volunteer work and the sudden discovery that the display room had been given to the library.

Jessica, the depot librarian, told the council the room is heavily used by patrons and asked for space that would allow visitors to sit, read and access library computers. She provided attendance figures for recent events and said the library drew hundreds of people during summer programs.

The council’s city attorney, John, summarized a records review he said reaches back to a Jan. 13, 1971 deed involving the TVA and the Louisville & Asheville Railroad Company. He said the town holds long‑term rights to the depot site and that, based on the minutes and deeds the town has located, the Oliver Springs Historical Society was granted use of two waiting rooms as a museum — a permission the council can revoke.

"Nowhere in any document is there any indication that the library or the caboose have ever been transferred to or that it's ever otherwise been owned by the Oliver Springs Historical Society," John said, and invited anyone with contrary documentation to provide it to the city attorney’s office.

Councilors and commenters alternated appeals for historical preservation and support for library services. Resident speakers and several council members framed the question as one of balancing town history with current community needs: patrons, early‑childhood literacy programs and STEM activities that the library now hosts.

Council discussion did not include a formal motion to change the depot allocation during the meeting. John said the historical society has been “allowed to use two waiting rooms at the depot as a museum” but that such permission is subject to council direction; he encouraged anyone with documentary evidence of ownership to present it.

The issue is expected to return to the council agenda for follow‑up. In the meantime, the town attorney offered to provide copies of the deeds and minutes he reviewed to interested parties.