In September of 1873 workers laid the first railroad tracks were in a wheat field that would later become Whitehall. The days of passenger trains and a crowed depot are long gone, but the past may have a future in Whitehall.

On news years day, 1874, passenger service between Green Bay and Whitehall began and continued until the 1940's. Since then the depot has held a few different businesses, but its long history has never been forgotten. Once full of life, energy and business, the Whitehall Depot played a major role in the city's development and fit the mold of most early 20th century train depots.

"The front of the building is the women's waiting room. You can see where the ticket counter was, where the men's waiting room was and then in the back is a really nice, cool freight room" says Depot Committee Member Karen Witte.

In 1914 the original wooden depot burned down, and a new brick depot took its place. Though the area now is over grown, the depot itself remains relatively unchanged and a facelift is in the works.

Witte says "we don't want to change the appearance of it either on the outside or the inside. We just want to take what's there and basically restore it."

The only change so far is a new roof, and since it is the original structure from 1914 it's missing some modern day amenities.

"The plaster, the dry wall. It needs heating, electrical, plumbing and make it handicap accessible" says Witte.

The city bought the depot in 2003 and has big plans for it. The city wants the renovation done in five years which includes making the depot handicap accessible, providing a virtual museum and historical displays, bike, motor coach and audio tours, as well as meeting facilities.

3 trains still pass the depot each day. The building was placed on the National Registry of Historical Places in 2006 and the city hopes to preserve this history. The money for the $300,000 project will come through fund raising. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation you can send it to:

The City of Whitehall
18620 Hobson Street
P.O. Box 155
Whitehall, WI 54773