Holly Union Depot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Holly Union Depot
|
|
 |
|
| Location | 223 S. Broad St. Holly, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1885 |
| Built by | Heitsch and Son |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000645 |
| Added to NRHP | December 21, 2000 |
The Holly Union Depot is an old train station in Holly, Michigan. You can find it at 223 South Broad Street. This special building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the year 2000. It sits right where two important railway lines meet. These lines are now owned by CSX Transportation and Canadian National Railway.
Contents
The Story of Holly's Train Station
How Holly Grew with the Railroads
In the early days, around 1843 and 1844, people started building sawmills and grist mills in the area that became Holly. A small village slowly began to form around these mills. But the real growth of Holly started when the first railway arrived.
This first railway was the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway. It came to Holly in 1855. This railway later became part of the Canadian National Railway. The company built a small wooden train station first, then replaced it with a better one.
Two Railways, One Station
In 1864, a second railway line reached Holly. This was the Flint and Holly Railroad, which is now part of the CSX Saginaw Subdivision. Since two railways were now serving Holly, they decided to work together.
They built a "union depot" where both lines could share a single station. This first shared station was also made of wood. Sadly, it burned down in 1884.
Building a New Depot
After the fire, the two railway companies quickly set up temporary spaces for passengers. These were in their freight sheds. Then, in September 1885, they hired a company called Heitsch and Son from Pontiac. Their job was to build a brand new depot and a separate room for baggage.
Construction started in October 1885 and finished in February 1886. This new station served passengers for many years. It was used by both railway lines and the companies that took them over.
The Depot Today
The Holly Union Depot continued to serve passengers until 1964. That's when the Grand Trunk Western Railroad stopped running passenger trains through Holly. After that, the railroad used the building for storage.
In 1998, the village of Holly bought the old depot. They worked to restore it, making it look nice again. As of 2018, there were plans to possibly move the depot to a different spot.
What Does the Holly Union Depot Look Like?
The Holly Union Depot is a long building with one story. It has a special roof shape called a "cross-gable roof." The building is made from two colors of brick: reddish-orange and yellow-buff. It sits on a strong stone foundation.
The roof has wide parts that hang over the sides. These are supported by cool-looking wooden brackets that form open triangles. On each long side of the building, there are parts that stick out with gabled roofs. These used to be separate ticket offices for the two different railway companies.
You can see a rectangular stone plaque on the front of each of these sticking-out parts. The name of the town, HOLLY, is carved into these plaques in big, raised letters. The entire building is about 82 feet long and 22 feet wide.
