Illinois Central Railroad Depot
Why it's listed
This small wooden depot in the center of Ullin, Illinois, was built in 1897 by the Illinois Central Railroad and is the third station to serve the town. It measures 24 by 60 feet and follows the railroad's common late-1800s pattern: a rectangular, end-gabled frame with a square bay window on the track side for the stationmaster. Inside, a waiting room, ticket and telegraph office, and large freight room remain, with original cabinets, tariff cases and tongue-and-groove walls. Local farmers shipped produce and livestock from here, and mills and quarries sent lumber and lime by rail. Passenger and freight service ended around 1970. The building was sold and moved in 1972, damaged slightly by a mill fire in 1979, and left empty until 1997. Citizens then rescued it from demolition and had it moved back to its original site. It has never been retrofitted, and changes since 1897 are mostly cosmetic, mainly replacement siding.
Significance in brief: The depot served as the commercial hub of Ullin, handling passengers, mail, telegraph messages and freight such as lumber, lime, strawberries and livestock from local farms and mills. It is a little-altered example of the end-gabled wooden stations the railroad built in the late 1800s, with original interior cabinets, woodwork and a stationmaster's bay window. It was saved from demolition and moved back to its original site in 1997.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 99000978, listed August 18, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Central Ave. and Ullin Ave., Ullin |
|---|---|
| County | Pulaski County |
| Listed | August 18, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000978 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Stick |
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant and unrestored at the time of nomination, with broken windows and worn finishes. It was sold and moved about 300 feet in 1972, used for storage, then left dormant for 18 years. It was moved back to its original location on December 2, 1997. Current function is listed as work in progress. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 37.27728, -89.18472 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 99000978.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5999380
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.