MOVIN' ON DOWN THE LINE: CENTURY-OLD DEPOT SALVAGED, MOVED

ULLIN, Ill. -- The old Illinois Central Depot at Ullin, a wooden structure identified during the heyday of passenger railroads, as "344 miles south of Chicago and 568 miles north of New Orleans, was moved "across" the tracks Monday.

The structure, abandoned when passenger service was discontinued in this small community of 500, has been saved from demolition by the Ullin Civic Club and the Village of Ullin.

It will serve as a museum and visitor center, and as a reminder of earlier railroad days.

The depot is 100 years old.

"We didn't know that until Tuesday," said Jim Honey, an Ullin native and member of the group which started the campaign earlier this year to save the historic building.

"We had pictures of the building from 1904, and figured it was constructed about the turn of the century," he said.

The construction date of 1897 was confirmed Tuesday, when Paul Echols received the 1897 plans for the depot from the Illinois Central Railroad archives. Echols of Murphysboro, an Ullin native, is also a member of the Ullin Civic Club.

Following the move, the depot will be in its original location, said Echols.

The old depot was purchased in 1972 by the Phoenix Flour Mill. It was then moved across the tracks that year to serve as a storage facility for the company.

Seven years later, the mill was destroyed by fire but the depot was saved. The flour mill moved to a new location,

The building has remained vacant on railroad land since 1979. The new site is owned by the city.

The physical condition of the building is "amazing," said Echols. "It's definitely worth saving."

The structure, 27.5 feet wide, 61 feet long and 20 feet high, with eaves extended to a width of 35 feet, about 2,000 square feet, was moved Tuesday by Kennedy, Kennedy & Kennedy Corp., of Metropolis, a company that originally moved the depot across the tracks in 1972.

The building, said David Cheek, another member of the civic club, has a new roof. Otherwise, it is the same as it was years ago when it was abandoned after passenger trains no longer stopped in Ullin.

"It still has the old ticket office and the built-in desk," said Echols. The building, he added, qualifies to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"We feel the building should ultimately be dedicated to the history of the IC Railroad and heritage of the Ullin area," said Echols. "Many people from the area have been employed by the railroad over the years."

The depot will have to be restored. It was scheduled for demolition during the summer of 1997. The Illinois Central recently initiated a campaign this year to get rid of abandoned buildings along its property, from Chicago to New Orleans.

When contacted by Ullin officials, railroad officials agreed to hold off the demolition. The city is looking into grants for the restoration project.

"This building is tied to the town's history," said Echols. "I have old pictures of troops boarding trains at the depot, preparing for World War I," he said. "I have other pictures which show steam locomotives pulling into the depot as passengers gathered to board the train."

Money to move the building was unavailable until a benefactor stepped forward to offer a loan. William H. Echols, a businessman from Las Vegas, and formerly of Ullin, said he would put up the money. He also recently financed a war memorial, which was dedicated in Ullin on July 4.

William Echols is Paul Echols' uncle.

The old depot is the second railroad depot which has been saved from demolition in the immediate Southern Illinois area. Tamms restored its turn-of-the-century-era depot more than a decade ago. The Tamms structure now houses city offices and a small museum.

The Ullin Civic Club will oversee the restoration project.