In 1902, the L&N Railroad sought a location between Atlanta and Knoxville for its Southern Division Headquarters on a new, more direct route that would bypass the mountainous Hiwassee Gorge. The chosen site, approximately halfway between Knoxville and Chattanooga, was intended to include facilities for crew changes and workshops to manufacture box cars and repair engines. The L&N Depot, built in 1906 as the division headquarters, was the first public building constructed in Etowah. The railroad employed 2,800 people in these early days and created a bustling economy there. As the workforce grew and workers moved their families to the area in 1906, Etowah became the first planned community of the L&N Railroad. Construction workers built nearly a mile of buildings along the tracks to house the workshops, and a turn table rotated engines 360 degrees to allow direction changes. The workshops remained in operation until after the depression of the 1930's, when the railroad consolidated services and moved them elsewhere. The L&N Depot remains an anchor for the community, serving as the ticket office for rail excursions over the Old Line and Historic L&N Hiwassee Loop over Bald Mountain to Copperhill, while its lawn and park host annual festivals, celebrations, and community gatherings.