Clinton’s Olde Towne Depot named for retiring mayor

By Randy Bell

Outgoing Mayor Phil Fisher greets guests at his retirement reception June 19 at the Olde Towne Depot, which is being named for him.

Phil Fisher was honored with a retirement reception June 19 at the Olde Towne Depot, and it was an appropriate location, since the building is being named for Clinton’s three-term mayor who didn’t seek reelection.

At the June 17 Board of Aldermen meeting, Mayor-Elect Will Purdie presented, and the Board approved, a resolution stating, “This building shall henceforth be known as the Phillip R. Fisher Olde Towne Depot.”

According to the City’s website, the Depot, built in 2018, incorporates elements of three previous train stations from Clinton’s earlier days.

It has become a visitor attraction during the holidays, offers children’s activities during the summer, has hosted the Board’s monthly work sessions and serves as a community hub and event space, often rented out for baby showers and Sweet 16 parties.

In his presentation at the Board meeting, Purdie said, “The City believes an appropriate recognition of Mayor Fisher’s service is to dedicate a public building in his honor. The City further believes the Olde Towne Depot is a fitting building for this purpose, as Mayor Fisher was a driving force behind its creation and has been a consistent proponent of Clinton’s history throughout his career.”

And Purdie pointed out that Fisher has presided over many of those Monday night work sessions at the Depot.

“We’ve had quite a few meetings in there,” the mayor-elect said. “We’ve spent – and he’s spent – quite a good bit of time in there.”

Fisher said having a building named after him came as a complete surprise.

“I had no clue that was coming, and I am deeply honored by that.”

At his retirement reception, the mayor recalled the efforts that went into restoring this piece of Clinton’s history.

“We wanted to rebuild the train depot,” Fisher said. “And we couldn’t get the land [where the previous station was located] from the railroad.”

He said the current site alongside the train track and near the Clinton Parkway railroad bridge seemed to be the perfect alternative. After a land swap with Mississippi College, the project was ready to move forward.

“We just needed to raise the money,” he said. “That’s where you get other people involved. We raised private funds. We had a grant that we used. It’s like everything else, it’s just a mixture of funding that you’re looking for, to make it all work out.”

Fisher said it was important to weave appropriate historical elements into the Depot’s design while “making it practical enough [so] it could be used for different functions.”

But serving as an actual train station again isn’t in the cards. There’s been talk of a new Atlanta-to-Dallas Amtrak line, which would pass through Clinton. But the mayor says there appears to be no chance that the train would board passengers here.

“They’re going to run from Jackson, and their next stop would be Vicksburg. I’ve talked to them about it. And, you know, once the railroad decides what they’re going to do, that’s the end of the discussion, no matter how logical it might be. But it would be neat to have that.”

The Depot is located at 281 East Leake Street. For more information about the facility, call 601-924-5472.