The Rise and Fall of … Two Railroad Stations

The Rise and Fall of … Two Railroad Stations

July 1, 2024

3–4 minutes

*Post written by Mona Meyer, Archives and Special Collections Metadata Librarian.

Let’s take a look at the history of two (maybe three, it depends on how you count this) railroad stations in Evansville. The meaning of the title of this blog is literal….the construction of the stations and their razing. The stations in question are the C & E I Railway Depot and the L & N depot.

Briefly, the terminology: C & E I is the Chicago and Eastern Illinois. L & N is the Louisville and Nashville. E & TH is the Evansville and Terre Haute.

**Oldest first…this building, called Union Station or Union Depot, was built in 1882 and was located roughly between** in an area bounded by Walnut, Sycamore, 7th, and 8th Streets. It was used by the Evansville and Crawford RR, which became the E & TH. It was razed circa 1907 to construct a new station in almost the same location. **This image dates to 1907.** MSS 184-0828, the Brad Awe Collection

**Here’s another view.** Photograph from the Historic Evansville website, image here.

It was replaced with the building seen below, and eventually became the C & E I Railway Depot. It was located on SE 8th St.

**This image dates to 1907—notice that the caption says this is the new depot.** RH 033-215, the Local Postcards Collection

**This image dates to 1913.** RH 033-223, the Local Postcards Collection

**Undated.** MSS 157-1072, the Schlamp-Meyer Collection

This building took on a new purpose during WWII: from 1943-1946 it was a USO club. Although the official USO policy was that it served all soldiers, some clubs chose to be segregated, with separate clubs for black soldiers. Sadly, this USO in Evansville was segregated. (The USO for black soldiers in Evansville was in the Lincoln Gardens housing project.) After the war it (the one seen here) served as a community center.ⁱ

**Dated 1943.** RH 033-189, the Local Postcards Collection

In 1965 this facility was razed for the construction of downtown Evansville’s Civic Center complex. But all was not lost! The image below is a close up of the columns, cropped from MSS 228-0178, The Sonny Brown Collection. It dates to 1960.

Miraculously, these columns, made of Green River limestone, were salvaged before demolition. They were dumped somewhere on the riverfront but not destroyed. You may recognize the image below as the Four Freedoms monument on the Evansville riverfront, erected as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. Yes, those railroad depot columns were repurposed and still stand today.

**Four Freedoms monument on the Evansville, IN riverfront.** MSS 183-067, the Hammond-Awe Collection.

The L & N Depot was built in 1902 and located at 300 Fulton Ave., formerly 214 Fulton Ave. “Architecturally inspired by the 11th and 12th Century Romanesque cathedrals of France and Spain, it welcomed visitors to Evansville for almost 70 years.”ⁱⁱ

**Circa 1910.** RH 033-220, the Local Postcard Collection

**Circa 1950.** MSS 264-0494, the Thomas Mueller Collection

“By the 1950s, more than 30 passenger and 50 freight trains arrived daily in Evansville. But that didn’t last. On April 30, 1971, the last L&N passenger train arrived in Evansville. It was running four hours late due to engine problems. Amtrak was in the process of taking over passenger railroading, and the federal agency did not include Evansville on its routes. The L&N sold the depot property in 1974. It sat vacant until February 1985 when — despite its recognition as an Evansville icon — the depot was razed.”ⁱⁱⁱ The following pictures reflect increasing neglect and deterioration.