ON THE RIGHT TRACK: ULLIN WORKS TO SAVE HISTORIC DEPOT

ULLIN, Ill. -- The old Illinois Central Railroad Depot has been saved from demolition.

The almost century-old structure will be moved from its current location alongside Illinois Central Railroad tracks to a city-owned site along the east side of the tracks.

"We have financial backing to move the historic building," said Paul Echols of Murphysboro, an Ullin native. Echols is a member of the Ullin Civic Club, which has started a campaign to save the old structure.

The Civic Club is on a time schedule to move the building, located on the west side of the tracks a block north of the Ullin crossing.

"We have to move it this month," said Echols. The Civic Club would like to have the building in its new location by this weekend, when the community of 500 observes its annual Cache River Days.

The city received a reprieve for the depot recently. It was scheduled for demolition by the ICR two weeks ago, Echols said.

Railroad officials had contacted the Ullin Fire Department, offering to let the department burn the building as a firefighting training exercise.

Fire department officials notified city officials. This spurred city and civic club officials into quick action to discuss what could be done to save the structure.

Railroad officials contend that the depot is an eyesore and should be destroyed.

The Illinois Central recently initiated a campaign 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 demolition a month.

Most communities are happy to get rid of old structures, railroad officials say.

"But 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."

The cost of the moving the building been estimated at between $13,000 to $17,000.

The city is looking into a grant to move the structure, about six blocks south and across the track from its current location.

Money to make the move 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. William Echols recently financed a war memorial, which was dedicated in Ullin on July 4.

William Echols is Paul Echols' uncle.

Ullin Mayor Mike DeWitt has said the depot could be used as a library or visitor center.

With Ullin being an important point in the Cache River Conservatory District, the city needs a visitor center, said DeWitt.

Two companies have submitted bids to move the depot -- Kennedy, Kennedy & Kennedy Corp., of Metropolis, a company that moved the depot across the tracks several years ago, and a company from Pinckneyville.

"At one time, the depot was located across the track," said Echols.

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.

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

It still has the old ticket office and the built-in desk.

The depot was built almost 100 years ago -- the exact date is not known. The tracks are still used, with a number of freight trains going through daily.

The old depot was purchased in 1972 by the Phoenix Flour Mill. It was 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 physical condition of the building is amazing, said Echols. "It's definitely worth saving."

The building, said Echols, 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, but the primary thing now is to get it moved, said Echols.

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 re than a decade ago. The Tamms structure now houses city offices and a small museum.