"EYE SPY"

Eye Spy, Week Six
The Lincoln Depot

 

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[September 11, 2020]    For week six, the Lincoln Daily News Eye Spy game took readers to the Lincoln Depot. The Depotis currently the Logan County Tourism Bureau Visitors Center and also provides an Amtrak waiting station in the smaller baggage building on the north end of the property.

 


The main building, occupied by the LCTB houses a lot of information about local tourist attractions as well as a mini museum that helps visitors get a taste of what they might experience when they go to the various locations throughout our county.

An interesting fact that some may not know -the Depot is open to the public through the week and during the summer tourist months also on Saturday. LCTB Executive Director Morgan Gleason and Assistant Director Cindy Smith welcome visitors and are happy to answer questions about various tourist attractions throughout the county.

The pride and joy of the LCTB Board is the life-sized statue of Abraham Lincoln that stands as a focal point inside the Depot. The statue is on long term loan to the LCTB from the State Bank of Lincoln. It is the same statue that stood for many years in the lobby of the Sangamon Street branch of the bank.

While today, the 1910 construction building is in perfect condition and speaks boldly to the history of our community, such has not always been the case.

The building was built in 1910 and the floor plan then looked almost exactly as it is today. The depot was, obviously, a train station, and the building served in that capacity for many years.

However, the day came that the need for a large station in Lincoln was no longer necessary and the depot closed.

Then came the period of time when the station was purchased by a private party and became a restaurant and bar. During that period of history for the Depot, the eatery was very popular. The foot print of the building was changed dramatically when two old Pullman passenger train cars were added and two cabooses. The addition of the rail cars added to the restaurant space. A structure connected the main building to the baggage building and that area became the restaurant kitchen.

A wood deck was added on the railroad side of the building and the floor in the north half of the building was raised to match the height of the floors of the rail cars.

The Depot restaurant was a great place to visit, and many remember the toy train that circled the interior of the building on rails close to the ceiling.

Though the restaurant had its heyday, that day eventually passed and the popular eatery closed for good.

For quite some time the depot stood empty and deteriorating inside and out. Then, came the high speed rail program and plans to rebuild the railroad corridor from Alton to Chicago.

The federally funded program was administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation in conjunction with Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad. The plan included double rails from Alton to Chicago and the building or restoration of train stations along the way.

The state purchased the depot property from the private individual and entered into an agreement with the city of Lincoln pertaining to the future of the location. IDOT would restore the building, then turn the ownership of the entire property over to the city of Lincoln. The city would maintain the property, including the Amtrak waiting station. The larger building was the city’s to do with as they saw fit.

The completed project was amazing. With the exception of a few minor changes inside the buildings, and the addition of public restrooms, the buildings are very much the same as they would have been in 1910.

Over the years, the Lincoln Depot has seen some very distinguished visitors, including a few United States Presidents. However, our beloved 16th President Abraham Lincoln was not one of them. The depot was built several years after the assignation of Lincoln.

Young Abraham Lincoln was part of the survey team for the railway tracks and later in his life did make stops in Lincoln at the train station, but at that time, the station was on the other side of the tracks.

Also,it was on that lot in 1853 that Abraham Lincoln christened the city of Lincoln with the juice of a watermelon.

An interesting fact that some may not know, is that the greenspace at the depot is actually a park. In 1953, the area was named Centennial Park during the 100th Anniversary of the city. On the south and west edge of the property a time capsule was buried during that centennial, with instructions for the capsule to be dug up on the 200th anniversary of the city.

A large stone marks the spot where the capsule is buried. During the restoration of the property, the capsule was dug up and entrusted to the care of the city. Then when all the work was completed, the capsule was buried again.

Fifty years after the centennial, a second capsule was buried just a few feet from the first, also with instructions that it be opened at the 200th anniversary. A stone marker also shows where the capsule will be found in 2053.

There is a third stone marker in the park that was added much more recently. A young man working to earn his Eagle Scout learned that the large tree in the center of the park area is a Korean Crabapple that was planted in honor of those who served and sacrificed during the Korean War. He went to the city while the depot was still being resurrected by the state and sought permission to place a memorial stone near the tree. The city welcomed the addition to the park with the condition that the stone would not be installed until the restoration project was complete.

The tree itself is surrounded by a steel and wooden bench. The sidewalks crossing through the park all lead to the tree, where visitors can sit and enjoy the shade and choose to gaze on the depot, watch the traffic pass by, or count the cars of the trains that pass through.

The depot is walking distance from several other interesting aspects of the city, and in close proximity to downtown retailers. Its location is perfect for those who come in on the train to spend a day exploring our fair town on foot.
Across the street is the Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society, another wonderful place to visit if one is interested in our local heritage and history.

While the goal of the Eye Spy game has been to give folks someplace to go and enjoy outside, those who wish to put on a face mask and expand their exploration would definitely benefit from stopping inside at the depot, then crossing over to the LCG&HS.

So, now that you know more about this great location, if you didn’t make your way there during the game, we hope you will be sure to stop by sometime soon and enjoy all that the Depot and Centennial Park have to offer.

[Nila Smith]

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