Edgerton station

The Edgerton Depot is a historic railway station located at 20 South Main Street in Edgerton, Wisconsin. The station was built in 1906 to 1907 to serve the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, also known as the Milwaukee Road; it replaced the city's original depot, which opened in 1853 with the railroad. Railroad engineer C.F. Loweth designed the station, which features a hipped roof, bracketed overhanging eaves, a red brick exterior with stone trim, and decorative brick quoins and keystones. The station was critical to the city's tobacco industry, which attracted customers from as far away as Europe; the railroad both shipped tobacco to larger cities and brought business agents to the city's firms. Passenger trains to the station, which were used both by residents and the aforementioned businessmen, primarily served routes to Milwaukee and Chicago. The station was remodeled in 1939, though rail travel in Edgerton had already begun to decline by this point; it fell even more significantly in the 1950s and 1960s, and the station closed in 1971.^[3]

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1998.^[1]

For much of its history, Edgerton station was vital to the local economy. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Rock County was one of the top tobacco-producing regions in the Midwest. Growers and dealers used the station to ship tobacco leaves to warehouses in Milwaukee and Chicago, where the crop was processed and sold nationwide. At its peak, dozens of railcars left Edgerton daily during harvest season, carrying tobacco, livestock, and agricultural products.^[4]

The station also supported local manufacturing. In the early 20th century, furniture and cigar box factories operated near the rail line, relying on the depot for shipments of raw lumber and finished goods. Passenger traffic included traveling salesmen, families visiting from Chicago, and local residents commuting to nearby cities.^[5]

Passenger rail service at Edgerton station was primarily provided by the Milwaukee Road and later by New York Central through its acquisition of connecting routes. In the 1950s, rising automobile ownership and expanded highway systems led to a sharp decline in ridership.^[6]

By the mid-1960s, most daily passenger trains were discontinued. The last scheduled passenger service stopped at Edgerton station in 1971, shortly before Amtrak was created to consolidate intercity passenger routes nationwide. Freight operations continued for a time, but the depot gradually fell out of regular use.^[3]

• Milwaukee Road
• New York Central Railroad
• Amtrak
• Rock County, Wisconsin