Rushford Depot Renovations Allow For Reopening

A Grand Reopening of the Rushford Depot occurred June 9. The reopening was a long time coming. After receiving a Legacy Amendment Grant totalling $254,953 to stabilize the foundation of the depot and improve the visitors’ center and the roof, work began on the depot in the fall of 2024.

Soon it was discovered that the sill beams of the depot were rotting in place; they had simply been laid on the ground when the depot was built. In order to stabilize the foundation, 14 helical piles were screwed into the ground and new beams needed to be installed to connect the piles.

In the baggage area, the bottoms of the wooden columns also were rotten and needed to be replaced with concrete.The wooden floor of the baggage area had been covered with concrete in earlier renovations and another layer of concrete had been added after that. Both layers of concrete and the underlying wood had to be removed and new concrete needed to be poured in the area which now serves as the visitors’ center.

New ADA compliant bathrooms and ramps were added after the floor was poured. Servais Tile & Stone contributed both labor and materials to create beautiful, easy to clean bathrooms. According to Sally Ryman of RAHS (Rushford Area Historical Society) the bathrooms would have had concrete floors and painted walls without the generosity of Servais Tile!

During renovations, many museum items were moved for storage to the local fire hall and the smaller buildings on the depot site. Work done by Rushford-Peterson Middle School students, the Rushford Firemen, Leigh Volkman, Carl Schollmeier and Jack and Jim O’Donnell was valued at over $20,000.

The O’Donnells have done a lot of work to move items back into the depot. Nancy Snyder and Terri Benson have worked magic to skillfully display the museum items to tell the story of Rushford.

The upper living area level of the depot has been reconfigured and now looks more like an actual home. Because the depot now has a storage area for museum items, items are less crowded and easier to enjoy. A resource area is also housed in the storage area for people researching their ancestry. The museum sees a lot of requests for information on one-room schoolhouses, churches and businesses.

In addition to the living area, upstairs there are other rooms housing tools and items from businesses. In the lower level, one area is devoted to the railroad and others display medical items, banking information, and a rotating display greets visitors when they enter the museum. Servicemen and their uniforms are featured in the display until after Rushford Days.

The Rushford Depot is thought to be the last remaining two-story depot in southern Minnesota. It was unusual for depots outside of major cities to include a second story for living quarters. It’s thought that Rushford did this because the housing boom in Rushford at the time left few other options for the railroad.

RAHS has gotten another grant of $20,000 from MNHS (Minnesota Historical Society) to do architectural and engineering drawings of the depot. This work will be completed within the month. Another MNHS grant of around $19,000 was received to hire Rose Kubiatowicz’s business, Have Gloves Will Travel, to organize the collections. When this work is completed, RAHS hopes to have a searchable collection available online. Kubiatowicz will be creating a booklet on how to take in and record donations with written policies and procedures for the museum.

Future plans include having the depot re-sided with consistent siding and replacing the two canopies as they were in the early 1900s on both sides of the depot. The depot will be repainted the original reddish brown color and the fretwork on the peaks of the depot will be replaced.

Heating and cooling systems are separate for the visitors’ center and the museum. Vis Plumbing and Norman’s Electric worked with RAHS to update the systems.

The city of Rushford recently took back ownership of the depot at the request of RAHS. This was done to help RAHS with the building’s insurance; RAHS still covers the liability insurance. RAHS has a 40-year lease agreement with the city at no cost.

The Depot is currently open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. More hours will be added later; the visitors’ center will be open more often once the ramp is finsihed.

RAHS called the reopening of the depot, “The First Stop In Our Journey” because they know there is more to be accomplished at the museum. They would like to sponsor speakers and provide historic events for the community.

Preston Colbenson is responsible posting information and colorizing and adding pictures to the Rushford Area Historical Society FaceBook. RAHS also has a website www.rushfordhistory.com/.

There has been a lot of positive response to the renovated building. Bicyclists, who have been stopping in to see what’s been done, have been reminiscing and enjoying the museum. The R-P fourth graders made a field trip to check it out before school dismissed for the year.

When Ryman was asked for advice for other cities wanting to work on a historic building, she emphasized that they should work with historic architects and contractors who adhere to the national historic standards; this will ensure that grants will be applicable for the project. Such companies pay attention to details and know what things can be preserved or if they need to be replaced. “Expect it to take longer than you think – there WILL be surprises!”

The first stop on the journey turned out well for RAHS; it’ll be great to see the next stop for the Rushford Depot and Museum!