FEBT Restoration – Freight Office

Freight Office restoration — The EBT Freight Office under restoration.

The Rockhill Freight Office is a building across the tracks from the main shops where less-than-carload freight was received and shipped. Since the end of EBT common carrier operations the building had been used for storage, but it retained some of its internal furnishings.

The building rested upon a series of wood posts set into the ground. Over many decades these posts had rotted and the building was in danger of falling off them as they collapsed. In 2018 FEBT undertook a restoration project to lift the entire building, install new concrete footers, lower the building onto the footers, and perform a complete restoration of the structure.

The building was cleared of the majority of it contents. Lengths of rail were slid under the building to support its weight. Track jacks were used to slowly lift the

Siding Repairs — An FEBT volunteer performs siding repairs on the EBT Rockhill Freight Office.

building. Over the course of several sessions the building was lifted over a foot. The old posts were removed and holes excavated for new concrete footers. Once all the footers were poured, the building was slowly reverse-jacked down onto them. Restoration then moved to siding and window repair. By the end of 2019, the project was nearly complete.