Right in front of you, you’ll spot tall silver storage silos and cranes jutting up beside the calm waters of the Tennessee River-just follow the riverside and look for those giant metal cylinders!
Welcome to the beating heart of Decatur’s industrial scene: the Port of Decatur! Since 1971, this busy spot has been where barges, trains, and trucks play a high-stakes game of cargo shuffle, switching grain, sand, asphalt, and steel piping almost faster than you can say “intermodal transfer.” Imagine the constant hum and clang of machinery as cranes load and unload giant bulk cargo--while railcars and trucks rumble in and out, practically waving at the passing river barges. With twelve acres of open storage and room for all sorts of industrial goods, the port even dabbled in poultry feed when Golden Kist started sending in feed by the ton. If you catch a whiff of strange smells, just blame the fertilizer or maybe coal. Most goods come in, but oddly, most barges leave empty, since it’s faster to send products out via trains or highways. Still, the port sits connected to two major railroads and highways, making it sort of the ultimate team player in the shipping world. Imagine loading your barge here-the trip to New Orleans takes two weeks, so bring snacks!
