Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Rock Island Freight Depot photograph circa 1908
Preserving the places and important sites of the past is something that is passed down from one generation to the next. Our generation has preserved places that have meaning to us and our own personal histories, such as the Santa Fe Freight Depot in Atchison. The building, built of the small sections of limestone too small to cut into proper building material called "rubble," was built in 1880 and served as a freight and storage station for over 100 years before being donated to the City of Atchison and becoming the home to the Atchison County Historical Society Museum, the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Info Center in 1989.

This old stone depot was originally built in 1880 and expanded by three bays after 1909. The Depot is the only extant building associated with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in Atchison, Kansas. The depot is on the National Regisiter of Historic Places. It was preserved by the citizens of Atchison County because of its role in the railroad history of our community. Go on to the next page to see what the young people of today think should be preserved for the next generation.

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