The intricacies of the railroad's contribution to the Civil War, throughout the country and right here in Marshall, were discussed at Tuesday evening's kick-off of the 2007 "Discussion at the Depot" series.

Civil War historian and re-enactor Larry Mink presented "The Impact of Railroad on the Civil War" to a packed boardroom of the Marshall Depot, as the sounds of trains in the distance punctuated his hour-long speech.

"It's important that East Texans always remember that Marshall was a transportation center," said Mink after his presentation. "That's why we study history  to keep in mind what tremendous contribution Marshall and Harrison County made, not only in different aspects of the Civil War, but after the war."