An OVERVIEW and VISITING

The Restored Burlington Northern Depot & WWII Memorial Museum

 

                                        History

●  In 1903 when the CB&Q (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy) Railroad Depot was

completed, it was a model of modern convenience linking Red Oak Iowa to

more urban communities in worlds totally different from life here on the prairie. 

Rural communities were virtually inaccessible by any method of transportation

until lifelines of railroads joined them to more metropolitan societies.

 

●  Re-dedicated 20 DEC 2003, on the 100th anniversary of the first dedication,

The Restored Burlington Northern Depot now houses a WWII Memorial Museum, 

dedicated to all those who served in the Second World War, whether on the front

lines (1,100 active duty service participants were from Montgomery County Iowa)

or the home front.

 

●  During WWII, the citizens of Montgomery County Iowa lost more men per capita

than any other county in the United States.  Active service participants were

assigned to Company F ( Villisca – organized JUN 1861 ) and Company M

( Red Oak – organized MAY 1879 ).  During WWII, both units were part of

the 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th ( “Red Bull” ) Infantry Division. 

 

                  Structure

●  The architecture of the Depot is the Richardson Romanesque Style which

influenced the first Chicago School of architecture and architects such as

Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. That Style, named after Henry Hobson

Richardson, generally follows Romanesque Revival Style, incorporating

11th century southern French and Spanish Romanesque characteristics,

plus Richardson designs, which can be observed on the Depot, such as:

* Recessed window arches (more extensive than the earlier Norman).

* Polychromatic use of two colors of stone.

* Hip (slopes to sides and ends) roof.

* Arches that sit on the columns.

* Stone stringer courses.

 

● A few city blocks directly north of the Depot is another structure constructed in

the Richardson Romanesque Style – the 1890 Montgomery County Courthouse.

 

● The Restored Burlington Northern Depot & WWII Memorial Museum is a

project in the Depot Hill Historic Preservation District and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places, cultural resources worthy of preservation,

administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

 

                                 Visiting

●  Your visit to the Depot and Museum, which is ADA accessible, can include

docent and self-guided tours, an orientation in the auditorium with a rear

projection TV viewing screen, use of the WWII and railroad history research

library, and the gift shop.                        FREE ADMISSION

               Hours 10 a.m. – noon, Monday thru Friday

                Holidays and weekends by appointment

                             Group tours welcome !

        Meeting rooms and catering services are available

                    305 South 2nd Street, RED OAK IOWA 51566

             Telephone 712.623.6340                http://www.depothill.net

The Restored Burlington Northern Depot & WWII Memorial Museum

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