Oregon Depot Museum

About

The Oregon Illinois Train Depot Museum is open Saturdays 9AM – 12PM.  

Those Were The Days are presentations given the last Saturday of the month telling of events and happenings around Oregon throughout the years of the Oregon Train Depot.

After fires in 1893 and 1909: the new depot was built of brick, and featured terrazzo floors with walls covered half-way to the ceiling with white ceramic glazed tile. Three back-to-back oak benches adorned the waiting room, while two others occupied the restrooms. 

Passengers boarded trains from the depot until 1971, when Amtrak discontinued service to Oregon. After modifying the depot’s interior, the Burlington Northern continued to use the structure for office space until 1986, when the property was sold to the city…for the grand sum of one dollar. After a decade of use and abuse as a repository for unclaimed stolen bicycles and a variety of other castoff items, the depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. But as the structure continued to show signs of human neglect and weather beating, it became apparent that action was needed if this piece of history was to be preserved. And people responded.

In the summer of 2001, with financial assistance from the City of Oregon and several private donors, a hearty group of volunteers led by Bob Rees of Oregon and Jerry Stauffer, a Mount Morris native, began the Oregon Depot Restoration Project. This project continues on today with continued maintenance, improvements, and many new interactive displays.

*NEW*  In September 2022, the arrival of the 1947 Twin Cities Zephyr "Silver View" made it's arrival to the Oregon, IL Depot Museum! The short-term goal is to restore Silver View to become a stationary event location.  Parked just to the west of the Depot Museum, it will provide “Burlington Breakfasts”, lunches and dinners. The long term goal is to accomplish the restoration of this car to its former splendor.  It takes vision, patience, and the will to finish and then operate Silver View as a living history.  

Be sure to attend their Silver View Celebration on October 8th, 2022. Tickets and more information: HERE