Property Record
WASHINGTON ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE AND ST. PAUL RAILROAD DEPOT |
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| Other Name: | DEPOT MUSEUM |
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| Reference Number: | 63574 |
| Location (Address): | WASHINGTON ST |
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| County: | Lafayette |
| City: | Darlington |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Direction: | |
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| Year Built: | 1894 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1976 |
| Historic Use: | depot |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | Balloon Frame |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. FOR THE DARLINGTON DEPOT. THIS FRAME, WEATHERED STRUCTURE HAS A SLOPING ROOF WITH BRACKETS OR PURLINS VISUALLY SUPPORTING THE BROAD OVERHANG OF THE ROOF. VERTICAL BOARDS IN THE GABLE END AND HORIZONTAL BOARDS ON THE LOWER HALF OF THE STRUCTURE VISUALLY DEFINE THE STRUCTURE OF THE BUILDING. THE PASSENGER ENTRANCE IS ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE DEPOT AND A DOUBLE DOORED ENTRANCE LEADS TO THE FREIGHT STATION ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE. THIS RAILROAD STRUCTURE IS ARCHITECTURALLY SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF A FEW REMAINING REPRESENTATIVES OF SMALL TOWN RAILROAD DEPOTS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO THE 19TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION, IT IS THE ONLY BUILDING CONNECTED WITH THE RAILROAD IN DARLINGTON THAT HAS RETAINED ITS ORIGINAL CHARACTER. THE CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE AND ST. PAUL RAILROAD DEPOT IS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT TO THE COMMERCIAL AND TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT OF DARLINGTON. AS A RAILROAD DEPOT, IT IS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT INITIALLY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DARLINGTON'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. THE MINERAL POINT RAILROAD WAS BUILT THROUGH DARLINGTON IN 1856. THIS EVENT PRACTICALLY GUARANTEED DARLINGTON'S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AS A CENTER FOR THE SURROUNDING AGRICULTURAL AND MINING AREA. THIS IS THE SECOND DEPOT TO BE BUILT. THE FIRST RAILROAD STATION WAS LOCATED FARTHER NORTH AWAY FROM THE DOWNTOWN. THE RAILROAD WAS SIGNIFICANT TO THE GROWTH OF DARLINGTON'S COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. THIS DEPOT, WHICH WAS LOCATED NEARER THE DOWNTOWN, SERVED THE MERCHANTS AS A DELIVERY POINT FOR GOODS BROUGHT IN FROM CHICAGO AND ELSEWHERE. Between 1889 and 1895 the building was cut in two and moved to its present location. The building in negative 4/25 is the southern half of the building. The northern half is nearby. THE WAREHOUSES AND OTHER STORAGE BUILDINGS THAT WERE LOCATED NEARBY ALLOWED A LARGE AMOUNT OF GRAIN TO BE SHIPPED OUT. DARLINGTON BECAME A MAJOR SHIPPING POINT FOR LIVESTOCK AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. |
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| Bibliographic References: | ARGYLE AGENDA 6/26/1996. SANBORN MAPS 1889, 1894. 1874 PLAT MAP. C.W. BUTTERFIELD, HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY, 1881, P. 526. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |