Keokuk Union Depot

01/03/2025

Janet M. Smith, President of the Keokuk Union Depot Foundation, has written this letter of thanks and celebration to all who have supported the Depot's restoration project.

12/11/2024

Join us at the Vendor Show at the Keokuk Union Depot on Sunday, December 15 from 10:00 a.m. till 4:00 p.m. All of the former Depot Gift Shoppe items will be 50% off! We have T-shirts, hats, mugs, CDs, yo-yos and other items. T-shirts are now only $10.00 -- a bargain! We hope to see you there!
These are examples of items formerly sold at the Depot Gift Shoppe. They may or may not be available during the vendor sale.

12/02/2024

Here are two recent donations to the Depot by Archie Hayden of Hannibal, Missouri. The telegraph box was used by people who wanted to send a telegraph via the Depot office. The lantern, used by railway workers, is lettered "St.L.K.&N.W.Ry." The St. Louis, Keokuk & North Western Railway was renamed St. Louis Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad in 1887, and was one of the five railroads that formed the Keokuk Union Depot Company to erect the Depot in 1891. It was absorbed by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (Burlington Route) in 1901.

11/29/2024

The Depot is "back in business" for community events! The first non-Depot event since restoration of the waiting room was completed was the Keokuk Art Center's "Festival of Trees" on Saturday, November 23. Photos by Janet M. Smith.

11/19/2024

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE DEPOT:
The Keokuk Art Center will present its "Festival of Trees" on Saturday, November 23, from 6:30-9:00 p.m.
A Christmas Vendor Show is scheduled for the Depot on Saturday and Sunday, December 14-15.

11/19/2024

In connection with the Depot's dedication event on November 9, Tri-States Public Radio produced this excellent feature:

The depot dates back to 1891 and was designed by John Root of the renowned Chicago-based architectural firm Burnham & Root.

11/12/2024

WGEM aired a short feature about the Depot rededication event on November 9.

Organizers said it will be used as a community center for public and private events.

11/12/2024

Photos of the Depot's dedication event on Saturday, November 9, marking the completion of the current phase of restoration, which included re-creation of the original marble floor of the waiting room, installation of reproduction chandeliers, rehabilitation of the waiting room exterior masonry and arch windows, and equipping the rest rooms with period-style fixtures. Also of note was the restoration of the unique "turtle-back" style train shed (trackside canopy) which was completed in 2022.

10/26/2024

Marble baseboards have been installed around the edges of the waiting room, now that the reproduction tiles have been installed. Depot Foundation President Janet M. Smith took these photos on October 24, including a photo of the Rustic Restoration masons, Krysztof and Eugene, who have been doing the work.

10/11/2024

Please join us at the Keokuk Union Depot on November 9th and see exactly (almost) what the first 1891 train travelers saw--from the central tower roof apex (missing for several decades) with turrets, dormers and copper finials; to the restored roof covered with clay tiles made by the same company that made the original tiles; from the faux-painted wood grain eaves, soffits and brackets that support the roof; to the new granite “mudsill” at ground level that supports the restored and cleaned brick walls; to the precisely-measured, newly-installed, sandstone window sills and waist-high “water table” capstones that surround the Depot.

On the trackside of the Depot is a rare, probably now unique, turtle-back trackside canopy with a corrugated iron roof supported by cast iron pillars and brackets that protected the train passengers boarding or departing their trains.

When you enter the waiting room, you will see an impressive cathedral ceiling with chandeliers that have been designed to replicate the style of the 1891 originals, an entirely new marble and tile floor that matches in design and color the original floor (that was covered for decades with terrazzo), and two brand-new restrooms that look the same as in 1891 on the outside but, for good reason, are modern on the inside.

This event celebrates the re-opening of the Depot for public and private events in a beautifully restored historic setting for many years to come!

Below is the invitation and the schedule of events for the November 9 restoration celebration.

Janet Smith, President
Keokuk Union Depot Foundation

10/07/2024

On Saturday and Sunday, October 5-6, the Depot took part in Southeast Iowa Depot Days, with guided tours through those parts of the Depot that are accessible during restoration of the waiting room floor. On Sunday, Author Dean Klinkenberg gave a presentation about his book THE WILD MISSISSIPPI: A STATE-BY--STATE GUIDE TO THE RIVER'S NATURAL WONDERS. (Photo by Janet M. Smith)

09/24/2024

On Saturday, September 21, the members of the Keokuk High School class of 1964 visited the Depot. Janet M. Smith, president of the Depot Foundation, and R. Robert Woodburn, secretary, gave the class members a tour of the Depot including a preview of the waiting room interior restoration. (Photo by Janet M. Smith)

09/14/2024

We have some recent photos of the tiling progress in the waiting room, taken on September 9 and 12. Photo credit: Tile Pro, Inc., Quincy, Illinois.

08/27/2024

Work is progressing on renovation of the Depot's waiting room windows. This is the upriver arched window frame on Tuesday, August 27.

08/27/2024

The new marble floor tiles are now being laid in the Depot waiting room, beginning with the ticket office. Here a crew is at work on Tuesday, August 27.

08/21/2024

Every Wednesday morning, Depot Volunteers meet in the work room to discuss their ongoing projects. The current project is creation of a Reading Room at the downriver end of the building, where books on railroad subjects, etc. can be available for reading and research. The project can get under way in earnest once stored materials are removed from what will become the new work room; the current work room (baggage room) will not be available due to restoration activities. Pictured are volunteers Steve Ponger, Leon Erlandsen, and Mike Bliven. Photo taken Wednesday, August 21, by volunteer and Depot Foundation director Dr. Richard Leonard, who maintains this page and takes most of the photos posted here.

08/21/2024

Walker's Construction has begun work on restoration of the two large arched windows in the waiting room. Photo taken Wednesday, August 21.

08/20/2024

Workers are calibrating the new tiles for the waiting room prior to installation. The tiles are specified to be 3/8 inch thick. However, due to irregularities in the manufacturing process, some tiles are a hair thicker and some a hair less thick. The tiles are being sorted by thickness so that those of the same thickness can be laid in specified areas of the waiting room. The second photo shows several stacks of correctly sized tiles.