Watseka Union Depot
National Register of Historic Places

Watseka Union Depot

Watseka, Iroquois County, Illinois
Listed
December 22, 1999
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
99001595

About this property

The Watseka Union Depot is a historic railway station located on South Second Street in Watseka, Illinois. The depot was built in 1906 to accommodate traffic on the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad through the city; it also served the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway's line. Railway service through Watseka began in 1858, when the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad (a predecessor of the TP&W) opened a line through the city; the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad, which became part of the C&EI, began passenger service to Watseka in 1871 and soon accounted for the bulk of the city's rail traffic. The TP&W provided a plan for the new depot in 1904, which was similar to other stations along its line. The Watseka Women's Club provided planning input on the city's behalf; their influence resulted in the addition of a women's waiting room and a more monumental station with a depot park, both uncommon elements in a station serving a city of Watseka's size. By 1916, the new station served six trains which started or ended service in Watseka and twelve through routes; the line through Watseka remained profitable through the 1940s, and the city retained C&EI service until 1971. The depot was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1988; it was determined eligible, but was not listed due to an objection from the railways that owned the station. In 1989–90, the building was moved to save it from demolition; its National Register eligibility was revoked due to the move, but it was nominated again and listed on December 22, 1999.

Location

Watseka, Iroquois County, Illinois
40.77539, -87.73698

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORYTRANSPORTATIONCOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Old Iroquois County Courthouse
Industrial
0.1 mi
Prairie Dell Meetinghouse
Civil War
6 mi
St. Mary's Church
Industrial
13 mi
Glenwood School
Industrial
13.7 mi
Chicago Board of Trade Building
Industrial
15.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Watseka Union Depot listed on the National Register?

Watseka Union Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1999.

What type of historic resource is Watseka Union Depot?

Watseka Union Depot is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Watseka Union Depot?

The period of significance for Watseka Union Depot is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1858.

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