Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 127, Number 47, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 18 November 2004 — Page 8

Page A8

Advance News • Thursday. November 18, 2004

\ Nappanee Depot and city origins intertwined

By Amy Wenger Correspondent This is a story about the destiny of a railway, and the dream of a city. And perhaps a bit of the reverse is true, as well. Whichever perspective seems most fitting, the advent of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is, without question, one of the most pivotal elements to the founding of Nappanee. For nearly 95 years, many changes, developments and seasons have come to pass. But through the years, one modestly majestic symbol has remained a quiet testimony to the grandeur of the railroad and its historic legacy on one community the Nappanee Depot. NAPPANEE BEGINNINGS To fully appreciate the impact that the rail corridor had on the evolution of Nappanee, one must take a moment to reflect on the earliest days of a small settlement nestled in the southwest sector of Elkhart County. More than 130 years ago, the area which would one day be known as Nappanee was little more than a low marshy plain among patchy expanses of timber. It was a land with seemingly dim prospects. A few families were scattered here and there, living in simple log cabins or small frame houses, but it didn't appear to be in the realm of possibility for a town to ever spring forth. Yet by the late 1860 s, executives for the Baltimore, Pittsburgh & Chicago Railroad, soon to be named the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, believed otherwise. It had been a longtime desire of the company to establish a railroad connecting Chicago to Sandusky, Ohio; to have the gHttnch across the three sMffTTfairlv imeomplicated, execution across the plains.

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When the preliminary route was mapped out, the proposed railroad fell in line just a couple of miles south of a small village called Locke. During the course of the years 1872 through 1874, property owners along the proposed B & O Railroad were approached to sell portions of their acreage, so that the project could commence. Once the proper clearances had been secured, the tracks were laid out with a fair measure of speed. By the latter part of 1874, the railroad was nearing completion, and the bustling town of Locke saw that it would be to their advantage to offer some assistance to the endeavor, since it would greatly improve the scope of business to have access to the railroad. So a group of businessmen erected Locke Station, a simple wooden frame structure designed to serve as a depot and a passenger waiting area. Meanwhile, in November of 1874, a trio of men were busy platting out a broad tract of land for the purpose of establishing a community. They, too, realized the opportunity at hand, and they chose to christen the new town Nappanee a name also shared by a city in Canada, and derived from a Potawatomi Indian word meaning "flour." At about this same time, the first freight train passed through Nappanee, and by December, passenger schedules were drawn up for "Locke Station." Both passenger and freight services were now in full operation, with the comings and goings being handled by Henry Eby, the depot's first station agent. In the months that followed, growth was so rapid and keenly palpable that progress was acknowledged on a fairly frequent basis. A written history of Elkhart County, published in 1881, noted of Nappanee, "the place makes a very presentable

Community

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Photo PROviom.t The Nappanee Depot was fashioned in what was called the “Prairie Style” of architecture, with a low pitched, red tile roof. It was com-, pleted in 1911. ~

appearance, far better than many of the older and larger towns of the county." Most of the folks who, only years earlier, had committed to Locke as their chosen site of home and business, were savvy enough to observe that their futures might fare more successfully if they were to relocate to Nappanee. And a great majority of merchants did just that, literally uprooting and moving entire businesses and buildings south and east to the new village. In the wake, Locke would then be relegated to something of a bittersweet chapter in the archives of regional lore, having sacrificed something of its own identity to foster the rise of Nappanee. BIRTH OF DEPOT Lockd Station served its purpose quite well for the next 35 years, but it eventually became

evident that a newer, more permanent structure would be necessary. So the plans were drawn up for a brick depot and passenger reception area, fashioned in what was called the "Prairie Style" of architecture, with a low pitched, red tile roof. The design was fairly unfettered and stately, but there were touches of elegance, such as decorative bands of brick and star shaped mullions. Though the new building was warmly welcomed by the com-' munity, there was still a sense of sadness abounding over the loss of the original depot. The wooden frame building was carried away to a new destination in February of 1911, and the "Advance-News" lamented the move. "An old gorte forever," read .the solemn story, "The removal crfthisofd structure no doubt recalls to the

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minds of the older inhabitants the very early days of the town's history. It was a proud piece of work in those days and stood a good many years as a monument to those who built it." The former facility found a new place of esteem in the countryside, and was owned by several local residents and farmers over the next several years. Nappanee’s brick depot found a purposeful service for jnany years to follow, until the cessation of the B & O Capitol Limited passenger stop in 1962. By 1990, the announcement that Amtrak's Roadway Limited would be coursing through Nappanee helped to rejuvenate interest in preserving the aging building. At the time, the previous B & O line was under the ownership of CSX Transportation. For several years/ u Nappanee fought diligeritly to! 1 recapture the rights to the depot, determined not to let the

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struggle undermine the restoration efforts. i* The purchase of the deport took a step forward in 1995,ar when the city received a $50,000" grant from the "Build Indiana" fund, to help expedite the sale. A Transportation Enhancement Activity grant, awarded that same year in the amount of $252,920, was earmarked for ' renovation. The transaction was' 1 ' finally completed in August of rt 2000, and renovations were completed in June of 2003. 1 Presently, the depot serves as' fa welcome center, passenger ° reception area, and most impor- r tantly, a tangible tribute to thebirth of a city. Nappanee's depot has also f ' received national acclaim, as it*'; has been recognized as the most ' ar<;hjt£Cturally apd historically significant station of only eight ‘ remaining from the former B & ' O Railroad.