Then & Now: Railroad Depot – Princeton

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was formed in 1855 by Boston businessman and philanthropist John Murray Forbes. By 1900, the company employed thousands of people and included more than 7,000 miles of tracks, mainly in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas.

Besides its railroad operations, this large “Burlington service” was responsible for encouraging immigration and town development and for stimulating local economies along its many routes, including Bureau County.

In 1911, the CBQ constructed a new railroad depot to replace the aging structure that had served the community of Princeton since the late 1880s. Construction began in July and was completed in six months by the Chicago firm J.A. Johnson and Sons.

Darius Miller, who was born and raised in Princeton, became president of the CB&Q Railroad in 1910. He was fond of his hometown, and after receiving a letter from the Princeton Woman’s Club asking to improve the depot, he promised a new station within a year.

Because of the railroad depot’s importance in the town, rural communities took considerable pride in their station’s appearance. Great care often was taken by most railroads to design depots, which would be convenient and architecturally pleasing to customers, local leaders and state railroad commissioners.

On Dec. 15, 1911, residents of Princeton dedicated the new Prairie-stylebrick depot, which cost about $40,000 to complete. The new brick structure included a new concrete foundation, east and west outdoor pavilions and a slate roof.

The interior was furnished with dark mission benches, a 5-foot white brick wainscoting and dark oak woodwork. In addition to the ticket office, patrons enjoyed a large steam-heated waiting room, indoor plumbing, electric lights, a smoking room and drinking fountains.

Like thousands of other railroad stations that once were scattered throughout America, the Princeton depot has served both the railroad and the local community for many years.

The Princeton station, like the typical railroad depot of rural America, was a focal point for the community and performed a variety of functions, such as handling freight, mail, passengers and communications.

As was common, owners of grain elevators, lumber and coal yards, newspapers, livery stables, blacksmith shops and hotels built their businesses as close as possible to the station.

In 1998, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the city of Princeton began a $665,000 renovation of the depot.