Petoskey station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Station
|
|
Depot Museum, 2015
|
|
 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Pioneer Park, W. Lake St., Petoskey, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1892 |
| Built by | Mosser & Wilson |
| Architectural style | Shingle style |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000270 |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1970 |
The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Station is an old train station in Petoskey, Michigan. It's located in Pioneer Park, right by West Lake Street. This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Today, it's not a train station anymore. Instead, it's home to the Little Traverse Historical Museum. Here, you can learn about the history of the area.
Contents
A Journey Through Time: The Station's Story
Building a New Train Line
In 1874, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad was the only train service in Petoskey. But in 1891, a second company, the Chicago and West Michigan Railway, started building a new train line. They also planned to build new stations along the way.
The railway company bought land right on the shore of Little Traverse Bay. This was the perfect spot for their Petoskey train station. They hired a company called Mosser and Wilson from Cadillac to build the station. Both the new train tracks and the station were finished in 1892. After the station was built, the town of Petoskey created a park around it. This park is now known as Pioneer Park.
From Train Station to Museum
Over the years, the train station changed hands a few times. In 1899, the Chicago and West Michigan Railway and this station became part of the Pere Marquette Railway. Later, in 1947, the Pere Marquette company joined with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O).
The Pere Marquette, and then the C&O, ran special night trains. One famous train was called the Resort Special, which came from Chicago. Local trains also used this route. The Petoskey station kept serving passengers until the 1950s. After that, it was no longer used for trains. The C&O stopped running passenger trains to Petoskey sometime between 1961 and 1963.
In 1970, a group called the Little Traverse Regional Historical Society got permission to use the old station. They also got some of the land around it. The building was turned into a museum in 1971. As of 2017, it is still used as the Little Traverse Historical Museum. It's a great place to explore local history!
What Does the Station Look Like?
The Chesapeake and Ohio Depot sits right on the edge of Little Traverse Bay. It has a very distinct look from the Victorian era. This style is called Shingle style. The building is long and used to have open platforms at each end. However, these areas were later closed in during renovations.
At the front of the building, there's a covered entrance for carriages or cars. This is called a porte cochere. On top of the building, you can see a short, round roof. Right next to this round section, there is a tall, thin chimney. The station's design makes it stand out as a unique and historic building.
