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Recognized as Wisconsin’s oldest remaining depot and the oldest surviving structure of the Milwaukee Road, the Mineral Point Railroad Depot was in operation from 1856 to 1984. After extensive historical research and a detailed six-year restoration project, the depot reopened in September 2004 as the Mineral Point Railroad Museum. Now the two-story vernacular-style limestone depot, built by Cornish stonemasons John Toay and Philip Allen, houses an artifact collection that tells the story of 150 illustrious years of Mineral Point and southwestern Wisconsin railroad-related history. Exhibits detail the depot’s role from its beginnings in 1852 with the Mineral Point Railroad Company to its recent return as a prominent presence and destination in Mineral Point.
Museum visitors are transported to a time when trains reigned and depots represented the heart of communication, commerce, and transportation. The museum artifact collection brings to life the stories of the men and women who worked the railroad. Exhibits cover the construction of the depot and railroad by the Mineral Point Railroad Company; the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul (and Pacific) Railway, also known as the Milwaukee Road; the Mineral Point Zinc Works, which operated the nation’s largest zinc oxide plant as well as the Mineral Point and Northern Railroad (Mineral Point’s second railroad line); railroad tools; depot agents and telegraph operators; and more.
In 2009, the museum unveiled their spectacular HO scale model railroad of the Mineral Point rail yard, c. 1917. It is located in the Children’s Room, which also features vintage toys, models and photography.
The Mineral Point Railroad Society was formed in 2000 to ensure that the Depot remains a permanent part of the community. See the website at www.mineralpointrailroads.com
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