Chicago and West Michigan Railroad Charlevoix Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chicago and West Michigan Railroad Charlevoix Station
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Chicago Ave., Charlevoix, Michigan |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1892 |
| Built by | Pelton & Company |
| Architectural style | Shingle Style |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001393 |
| Added to NRHP | November 29, 1995 |
The Chicago and West Michigan Railroad Charlevoix Station is an old train station located on Chicago Avenue in Charlevoix, Michigan. It's a special building that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. This means it's an important historical place worth protecting!
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A Popular Summer Spot
In the late 1870s, Charlevoix became a very popular spot for summer vacations. Many resorts opened nearby, like Bay View and the Belvedere Club. More and more people wanted to visit these beautiful northern Michigan towns.
To help people travel, the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad decided to build a train line. They extended their tracks from Traverse City all the way north to Petoskey. In 1891, the railroad picked two spots for new stations in Charlevoix. One was on the north side of town, and the other (which is gone now) was on the south side.
Building the Station
In 1892, the railroad hired a company called Pelton & Company from Grand Rapids. Their job was to build this new train station. Work started in May and was finished by July. The very first trains arrived in Charlevoix in June of that year.
In 1900, the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad joined with two other train companies. Together, they formed the Pere Marquette Railroad. This new, bigger railroad helped make Charlevoix and other northern Michigan towns even more famous as summer destinations. They even ran a special two-car train between the north and south Charlevoix stations up to seven times a day!
Changes Over Time
Train service to Charlevoix stayed very busy, even through World War II. But after the war, more and more people started using cars. This meant fewer people rode the trains, and the railroad started losing money.
In 1947, the Pere Marquette Railroad became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Over time, they slowly reduced train service to Charlevoix. By 1962, passenger trains stopped coming to Charlevoix completely. Freight trains, which carried goods, continued until 1982. After that, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway closed all its train lines in northern Michigan.
A New Purpose
In the 1980s, the Charlevoix Yacht Club used the old train station building. Then, in 1992, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pew gave the station to the Charlevoix Historical Society.
The Historical Society worked hard to restore the building, making it look like it did when it was first built. Today, the Charlevoix Railroad Station is used for special events and programs by the Historical Society. You can even rent it for your own events!
What the Station Looks Like
The Chicago and West Michigan Railroad Charlevoix Station is a single-story building. It's built in a style called "Shingle Style," which means it has a unique roof shape and is covered with wooden shingles.
The building has covered platforms that stick out from each end. This makes the station look wide and low to the ground. The outside walls are covered with shingles on the bottom and flat wooden boards (called clapboards) on the top. The station sits on a foundation made of fieldstone.
On the side where the train tracks used to be, there's a large bay window. There's also a round tower with a cone-shaped roof that rises above the main roof. On the street side, you'll see a low, arched entrance. Above it is a big gable with a balcony and a window made of three parts. A canopy, held up by round columns, covers the platforms and part of the front of the building.
Inside the Station
Inside the station, you'll find different rooms. There's an outer lobby and an inner lobby, a waiting room for passengers, and a ticket office where people bought their train tickets. There were also two restrooms and a large room for freight and baggage.
The inside of the station is beautifully finished with wood. The walls have vertical wooden boards on the bottom half. Above that, there are horizontal boards, and then more vertical boards going up to the ceiling. The ceiling itself is also covered with wooden boards, and the floor has original hardwood. In the waiting room, there's an original fireplace with a fancy mantelpiece. Columns, similar to the ones outside, frame the opening between the main lobby and the waiting room.
