Newton Depot turns 100

What better way to celebrate one’s centennial anniversary than a visit from about 400 of your enthusiastic fans? The Newton Depot turns 100 this year, which just happened to coincide with a lunch stop by the 2012 National Railway Historical Society’s annual convention. The train buffs were making a series of five rail trips from Cedar Rapids, with Newton as one of its stops.

The Rock Island Depot in Newton has seen its fair share of trains through the years. Completed in 1912, at a total cost of $25,000, the depot has been an important community center, sending military men off to the war, and serving as a whistle-stop for President Eisenhower in 1952.

Rock Island rail traffic declined after the war, with the push toward interstate highways and increased truck transportation. The depot closed permanently in 1980.

In 1987, however, a group of community leaders organized a committee to restore the declining building. Newton High School’s Building Trades students, funded by the Newton Rotary and Project AWAKE, undertook the restoration of the depot, salvaging the original terrazzo floor and adding a kitchen and modern restrooms. The original ticket window, track switches and lights remain.

The depot served several functions through the years, including a venue for weddings, reunions and birthday parties. The building was purchased from Project AWAKE by Art A La Carte. Owner Cathy Rickers proudly displays the historic building, ensuring that upgrades throughout the years have not changed the structural integrity of the depot. The building serves as a community landmark today, a fitting stop for a group of railway buffs.

John Jennings can be contacted at (641) 792-3121 ext. 425 or via email at jjennings@newtondailynews.com.