Ullin, Illinois | Historic Depots

 

Historic Depot and Caboose in Ullin, IL taken by Jennie Moore

    Hello all, and welcome to a new series on the blog where we will cover one of America's most recognizable relics, the railroad depot. With thousands scattered across the country, the railroad depot has become a symbol of American life, tradition, and progress. Found in the smallest of villages to the largest of cities, the architecture and design of these buildings are a stand out within their communities. The first depot we will cover in this series, I came across by chance when traveling back from Paducah, Kentucky. While making our way through southern Illinois, we passed through the village of Ullin, and to my surprise saw this beautifully restored depot and caboose. Needless to say, I asked Walter to pull over.

    Ullin was first established around 1854, when the Illinois Central Railroad laid their line through the area. An original depot was built in 1854, but no longer exists. Another would be built in 1863, though it would meet the same fate as the first. The location of these former structures is approximately where the parking area for the current depot is today. The current depot was constructed in 1897, and provided both freight and passenger service. Ullin was a prominent exporter of limestone, lumber, and produce in it's day. After the great Chicago fire on October 8-10, 1871, lumber was sent from Ullin to help rebuilt the city of Chicago. Also among the depot's purposes, it served as a telegraph station.

    It is somewhat common to hear of historic buildings being moved to another location to be preserved, but have you heard of such buildings being moved back to its original location years later? I had not, until I began researching the Ullin Depot. After the discontinuation of passenger and freight service in Ullin, the Illinois Central Railroad sold the depot to Wilborn Goines sometime around 1970. In 1972, Mr. Goines would sell the depot to William Bruchhauser, who owned Ullin's Phoenix Flour Mill. Bruchhauser had the depot moved to the mill site, where it was used as a warehouse. After a devastating fire at the mill in 1979, William Bruchhauser relocated his business, and with the depot being deemed too expensive to move, it was left behind.

Historic Depot and Caboose in Ullin, IL taken by Jennie Moore

    An important note is that the Phoenix Flour Mill was located near the railroad tracks, and when the depot was relocated, it was placed on Illinois Central Railroad's property that was being leased to William Bruchhauser. Therefore when the depot was abandoned and the lease ran out, ownership of the building returned to the Illinois Central Railroad. After some time, I.C.R.R. shared their plans to demolish the structure, which quickly received pushback by the Ullin Village Board and the Ullin Civic Club. I.C.R.R. responded to the villages concerns with an offer, one month to move the depot, or it would be destroyed. Amazingly, the village came together, and made a miracle happen. The Village of Ullin was able to purchase the trackside former location of the depot, and soon, the building was on the move. On December 3rd, 1997, 100 years after its construction, Ullin's depot would be taken back home to its original site for restoration. 

    The same year, the city of Ullin would pass an ordinance to protect the depot, and acknowledge it as a community landmark. In 2012, the depot would also become Ullin's library, and village hall. This small structure has had quite the journey over the years, and is still adding to its resume of purposes. I love a story in which a community comes together to save what is theirs, and Ullin is a beautiful example of that. For a deep dive on the Ullin Depot, including much more information and several photos, I recommend reading this great piece by Historic Structures, by clicking here. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy this series as much as I do!