Buntyn Station

Suburban Southern station located at Southern Ave. and Semmes St. The view to the left shows Buntyn Station, Circa 1949, looking west, SRR Forrest Yard and coal chute in distance (coal chute demolished 1950), Crossing watchman shack on left, Memphis Country Club entrance on right.

Buntyn Station was named after Geraldus Oscar Buntyn. In 1819, North Carolinian Geraldus Oscar Buntyn was granted, as payment for his services in the War of 1812, a parcel of land approximately 10 miles east of the city. Buntyn erected a house on the current location of Memphis Country Club and there, with his wife, Eliza, reared eight children and became a very successful corn and cotton planter. Mr. Buntyn prospered, bought additional land, and at the time of his death in 1865 owned 40,000 acres. In 1838, the Memphis-LaGrange Railroad cut through the middle of his property. The first stop was almost at Mr. Buntyn's front door and was called Buntyn station. A small community developed around the station, as part of his successful plantation.In 1854, Buntyn built a house as a wedding present for his daughter Sally Ann and her husband Robert D. Goodwyn. A dirt east-west mule trail that would eventually become Southern Avenue connected Sally Ann's house with that of her parents. Another dirt road running north-south through the property would later become Goodwyn Road