Chillicothe’s historic Rock Island Rail Depot Museum is in need of a facelift. The community-funded museum, located at the corner of Third and Cedar Streets since its 1889 construction, is regarded as a cornerstone of Chillicothe’s history.
However, time and the elements are eroding the structure, which had also served as the small community’s telegraph office in the days before telephones were in every household. The Chillicothe Historical Society, which took possession of the then-crumbling depot in 2000, has launched a public fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $10,000 in order to make necessary repairs to the building’s footings and foundation, along with other refurbishments. As of now, the group is a little more than halfway towards their goal.
“The paint is peeling because of exposure, however pieces of the wood frame at the bottom of the siding are rotting away. We need to get that replaced before we can get it painted,” said Gary Fyke, president of the Historical Society and longtime Chillicothean.
The first Chillicothe rail depot on the site, built in 1854 by the Peoria and Bureau Valley Railroad Company, burned down in 1889. The current building was constructed later that year. It stood neglected after the Rock Island Railroad ceased operations in 1980 until the historical society purchased it 20 years later.
Society members, many of them who are still associated with the group, meticulously restored the interior and exterior of the depot as volunteers. A special collection of historic railroad artifacts were curated to be exhibited within the depot, primarily chronicling the Rock Island Line and the Atchison-Topeka-Santa Fe Railway.
Over the years, thousands of area youth and families have visited the Rock Island Depot Museum and its collection of rail memorabilia, which includes a scale-model train set and diorama. Necessary repairs and upgrades to the museum were largely handled by historical society volunteers, who also organized bake sales, chili suppers and yard sales to support the repairs.
The age and physical condition of many of the core society members now renders tasks such as building repairs and community fundraising events impractical, according to Fyke. That’s why the group is turning to the public to fund the latest necessary repairs to the Rock Island Depot Museum. Fyke worries there will come a day when the museum and the depot again crumbles due to age and neglect.
“This building has been critical to the development of Chillicothe and this area, and we want to preserve that,” Fyke said. “After the Rock Island stopped in 1980, that’s when it went into receivership. At that time the historical society did not have a place of its own, it was in a Baptist church’s basement because we didn’t have a museum at the time. For a number of years it was the home of the historical society.”
Fyke added that the funds required to complete the repairs to the depot present a major financial hurdle for the organization. “We’re pleased with (the response to the fund drive) but we’re not to our goal yet. We are making decent progress,” he said.
Those who wish to contribute to the Chillicothe Historical Society’s 2024 depot restoration project can make a tax-free donation in the following ways:
● Direct mail to Chillicothe Historical Society, PO Box 181, Chillicothe, Ill., 61523.
● GoFundMe Page: www.gofundme.com/f/CHS-Depot-Restore
● Facebook: Through the “Our Town Chillicothe” page.
