Dave's Depots -Illinois Central Depot - Belleville, Illinois

This edition of Dave's Depots takes us literally down the street from my office. The Illinois Central depot in Belleville is a large structure. that sits just south of the square and St. Clair County Courthouse. I did not know this building still existed until I passed by it one day on my way to a local BBQ eatery.

This depot is typical of the "county seat" depots the IC and other railroads built in county seats. The L&N depot in Belleville, now long-gone was equally large and impressive. This structure only handled passengers and their baggage. The freight depot was and still is across the street. Now painted, and with an addition, the former freight depot serves a local moving company.

While snapping these photos, the owner came by and opened up the station for me. As you can see, there has been some modification to the inside, mainly the removal of the wall separating the ticket office from the rest of the building. Otherwise, the station had an open floor plan, with wooden benches for passengers.

If you are interested, the station is for sale. It comes with a 1.1 acre lot, with parking space for 220 cars. I can put you in touch with the owner.