Town closes purchase of depot used by Marines

YEMASSEE, S.C. (AP) – A small coastal South Carolina town whose railroad depot was the first taste of the Marine Corps for hundreds of thousands has closed a deal on buying the depot.

An estimated half-million recruits from the eastern U.S. came to the hamlet of Yemassee by train in the first half of the 20th century and then took buses about  35 miles to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island.

The town council in the town of 860 people this week closed a deal to buy the closed depot from CSX Transportation. Residents hope to renovate the depot  that holds memories for thousands of elderly Marines.

While the depot is closed, Yemassee is still a working station and the only Amtrak stop between Charleston and Savannah. About 12,000 passengers used the station last year.

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