Fort Towson

The Watseka Union Depot is a historic railway station located on South Second Street in Watseka, Illinois. The depot was built in 1906 to accommodate traffic on the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad through the city; it also served the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway's line. Railway service through Watseka began in 1858, when the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad (a predecessor of the TP&W) opened a line through the city; the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad, which became part of the C&EI, began passenger service to Watseka in 1871 and soon accounted for the bulk of the city's rail traffic. The TP&W provided a plan for the new depot in 1904, which was similar to other stations along its line. The Watseka Women's Club provided planning input on the city's behalf; their influence resulted in the addition of a women's waiting room and a more monumental station with a depot park, both uncommon elements in a station serving a city of Watseka's size. By 1916, the new station served six trains which started or ended service in Watseka and twelve through routes; the line through Watseka remained profitable through the 1940s, and the city retained C&EI service until 1971.^[2]

The depot was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1988; it was determined eligible, but was not listed due to an objection from the railways that owned the station. In 1989–90, the building was moved to save it from demolition; its National Register eligibility was revoked due to the move, but it was nominated again and listed on December 22, 1999.^[1][2]

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