Grafton station (Iowa)

The Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad-Grafton Station, also known as Grafton Depot, is a historic structure located in Grafton, Iowa, United States. The town of Grafton was surveyed and platted by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad in 1878, and the depot was completed by the railroad the following year.^[2] The railroad was important to the economic life of the town as it was the main source for receiving consumer goods and selling agricultural products, which was the area's primary industry. The depot closed in October 1974, one of the last small town depots to close in Iowa.^[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.^[1] The former depot was refurbished and it now houses a local history museum.^[3]

Grafton
Former Milwaukee Road passenger rail station
The Milwaukee Road depot in Grafton in May, 2018
General information
Location	303 3rd Street, Grafton, Iowa 50440
History
Opened	1879
Services
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station Carpenter towards Austin Austin – Mason City Plymouth towards Mason City
Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad-Grafton Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Show map of Iowa Show map of the United States
Location	Grafton, Iowa
Coordinates	43°19′49″N 93°04′14″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1879
NRHP reference No.	76000815[1]
Added to NRHP	June 23, 1976

The depot is a two-story, frame structure built on a brick foundation. There is a single story wing off of the back of the building. It is capped with a gable roof, with wooden brackets under the eaves. The first floor of the main block housed the waiting room and ticket office, while the second floor was the living space for the agent. The back wing housed the freight room.^[2] The first floor remains now as it was when it was a depot, with local artifacts housed on the second floor.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. Stanley R. Walk. "Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad-Grafton Station" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
3. "Grafton Heritage Depot Museum – Grafton, Iowa" (PDF). Iowa Beautiful. Retrieved 2016-02-02.