Bartlett prepares for weekend depot museum dedication

In the late 1800s, daily life in Bartlett centered around its train depot, which was a constant bustle of people and goods headed to or from Chicago.

As years passed, the depot’s bustle and exterior faded, but after more than a year of work, its original look has returned.

When the village closed the depot’s doors in 2007 to build a bigger station several feet away, the old structure was restored as a museum using tax-increment financing funds.  

The long-awaited refurbished depot is just days away from being displayed to the public, and no one is more excited than Bartlett History Museum Curator Pam Rohleder, who also will serve as the depot’s main go-to.

For Rohleder, restoring the historic train depot station was a labor of love.

“This was always something the village wanted to do, because the depot was so beloved by residents,” she said. “It’s a symbol in the heart of our community.”

Early history
As the iron horse became an essential method of transportation for goods and people, Bartlett’s founding father Luther Bartlett decided to get in on the action while working to build the small farm town into a thriving and prosperous community.

He paid for the station to be built the summer of 1873, and the first train passed through on the Chicago and Pacific Railroad that fall.

According to Rohleder, the station evolved as a social hot-spot and eventually was a one-stop shop that also served as the post office starting in the early 1960s.

“It was the hub of excitement,” Rohleder said. “It really was the ground zero for our community birthplace and the reason why we began.”

A new foundation
The village contracted with Walter Daniels Construction firm to design and renovate the depot, and work began in January 2009.

According to Walter Daniels project manager Phil Fiore, the restoration was possible with the help of a few historic photos. The initial projected cost for the entire project was $350,000.

"Because the depot originally was built directly on the dirt, there was no real foundation," Fiore said. “Some of the framing was not as solid as it should be,” he said. “It was remodeled several times before we got our hands on it.”

In order to put down a proper cement foundation, the depot needed to be moved, Fiore said. With the help of a Bobcat and hydraulic jacks, the entire depot was picked up and moved a few feet west and successfully moved back in the same day.

Rohleder said during the restoration project, several discoveries were made — the first was discovering the original ticket window, which was thought to be on the north side but instead was within the walls.

“It was great to see what kind of secrets were inside,” she said. “The inside changed a lot, but the placement of the waiting room and baggage room remained the same size-wise.”

As the walls were stripped away, they also found the original colors were taupe with dark brown trim.
Rohleder said the restoration was based on one original photograph and has relied on some donations of replica furniture and signs.

“If there were ever blueprints, we don’t have them but the footprint of the building has never changed,” she said.

With construction finishing just two days before the scheduled dedication, Fiore said the museum turned out better than they imagined.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “It was a neat project.”

Join the dedication
After watching the renovations take place, Bartlett community members will get their first glimpses of the final product at the unveiling dedication ceremony from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12.

During the dedication, Rohleder has lined up activities including train songs performed by Patti Ecker, a rail photography exhibit and a special presentation about railroad development from Simon Cordery, a railroad historian and associate professor of history at Monmouth College. Rohleder said Cordery’s program is partly funded by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council.

Tim Ahrens, committee member of the Boy Scouts Venture Crew 9911, a group open to boys and girls ages 14 to 20, said his group will set up a large model train display that will give visitors the chance to operate passenger and freight trains.

 “We’re really excited that we were asked to come down for the dedication,” he said. “It’s great that they’ve been able to restore it to what it was so people can see railroading history of the past.”
Rohleder plans on displaying rotating exhibits during the first year with the seasons and hopes people in the surrounding communities will stop by to take a look.

“It should be a lot of fun and a great reason for people to come into town,” she said. “There will be something for everybody.”