• Editor’s Note: This article is part of a weekly series on Kane County’s amazing history. Today’s article was submitted by Terry Emma, executive director of the Geneva History Museum

All aboard!

The birth of the railroad marked a new era in transportation. By the 1850s, railways were moving westward, criss-crossing the United States. Ambitious communities vied for the honor of becoming a railroad town, hoping for profit and prestige that trains brought.

In 1853, our community joined that list when commuter rail service connected Geneva to Chicago by the Galena and Chicago Union Railway, later known as the Chicago & North Western Railway.

In 1857, a depot was built west of Third Street and south of the tracks. By 1889, the depot had fallen into disrepair and could no longer accommodate the large number of passengers.

Victoria-Era Gem

The Geneva Improvement Association lobbied the railroad company to build a larger, more elegant depot. The magnificent Victorian era gem was constructed in 1892 in anticipation of the Chicago Worldʼs Fair of 1893.

The local newspaper noted it as “a handsome structure in the latest style with [an] ample covered platform, and all modern conveniences.” These conveniences included a baggage room, separate menʼs and ladies waiting rooms, a ticket and telegraph office, and indoor bathrooms.

The Geneva Republican reported that, the exterior was a Tiffany dark buff brick, terra cotta trimmings were on the gables and the caps and sills were a dark pink stone …The floors were of white maple and the woodwork of red oak rubbed and varnished.”

Teddy Visits Geneva

The depot would serve the community for the next 68 years and would bear witness to many community events. On May 10, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Geneva on one of his whistle-stop tours of the country.

From the back of his train, Roosevelt gave a brief, but heartfelt speech to the eager Genevans who crowded the depot platform.

The depot has also been the scene of numerous accidents. One of the worst accidents occurred on March 7, 1907 when a freight train slammed into a switch train, killing two and injuring three.

By 1960, the beloved and once-elegant depot had become dilapidated, unfit for use and beyond repair. It was demolished and replaced by a building that was contemporary and utilitarian in design.

By 1986, the community, unhappy with this small structure, lobbied for the present day depot to echo the Victorian grandeur of the 1892 structure.

Geneva could once again take pride in its share of the railway history and honor its treasured past.

Let’s Play Railway!

The Geneva History Museum is continuing to celebrate the city’s connection to the nation’s railway system with the children’s exhibit Let’s Play Railway!

Little engineers can enjoy a pretend ride in a life-size engine, cattle wagon and caboose in this traveling exhibit that was developed by the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Milwaukee, WI. It is sponsored locally by the Fabyan Foundation.

The hands-on activities in Let’s Play Railway! promote early math and literacy. They encourage children to solve problems and interact with others as they communicate, share and take turns.

This exhibit features buttons, sound effects, puzzles and much more! Let’s Play Railway! is open through Aug. 17 and is recommended for children ages 3 to 8 years old with parental supervision.

Join us at the Geneva History Museum as we host special story times in partnership with the Geneva Public Library on July 19 and Aug. 6.

Each reading will feature a different theme featured in Let’s Play Railway! and is followed by an activity, as well as free admission to the exhibit.  No registration is required.

For more information, please visit our website, www.GenevaHistoryMuseum.org or call 630-232-4951.

Read The Kane County History Series!

• 1850-1925 Geneva — When Penmanship Was Mightier Than The Sword
• St. Charles Museum Site — From Serving Gas To Preserving History
• Elgin Puts 3,500 Priceless Photos Online
• Batavia-Inspired Miniatures Thrilled a Nation
• Aurora’s Maud Powell, World Famous Violinist
• Waxing Nostalgic on Geneva’s WGSB, WFXW
• American Doughboys of WWI — in St. Charles, IL
• Experience High-Tech History at April 21 ‘Open Elgin’ Event
• Batavia, IL — ‘Windmill Capital of The World’
• Meet Andy Aurora, Man About Town
• Celebrating The 50th Anniversary of 9-1-1 in Geneva
• Blue Goose And Evergreen Pub — ‘Shop Local’ 90 Years In The Making
• Elgin Is The Apple of Illinois Bicentennial’s Eye
• Nordens Soner And Batavia’s Swedish Society
• Aurora’s Melting Pot ‘Yearning To Breathe Free’
• Candles, Timing Devices, Phonographs And The ‘Life Cup’ — All Things Made in Geneva
• Hotel Baker, The ‘Masterpiece’ of The Fox Valley
• Elgin Celebrates Our Once-Burgeoning Dairy Business
• Reflections of Batavia’s Quarry Beach Pool
• Aurora’s Mabel O’Donnell, Author of “Alice And Jerry’ Books
• As Alice (Davis) Says, ‘Schools Out For Summer!’
• Elgin Watches, ‘The World’s Standard’
• Aurora Silverplate a Symbol of Good Taste
• Women Leaders Played Huge Roles in Geneva
• Nationally Renowned Summer Camp in St. Charles
• The Harrowing Story of William Lynch, Elgin’s Civil War Brigadier General
• Batavia Powered The Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway
• Corsets Doing Big Business in Aurora? Scandalous!
• One Block of Geneva Tells 1,001 Fantastic Stories
• St. Charles’ Evergreen Pub — The ‘Before’ Photos
• 1917-18 — When Elgin Artists Went to War
• Thomas Cleveland — Batavia’s Presidential Connection
• Do Your Wurst — Aurora Meat Markets Are ‘In’ Again
• Geneva Is The Place For Graveyards And Ghosts
• Visit Amelia Anderson At St. Charles’ North Side Cemetery
• Calling All Artists! … For a Cobblestone Reflection in Elgin
• Batavia’s 108-Year-Old Gazebo Still Lights The Way
• The Compelling, Tragic Story of Aurora’s Black WWI Hero Frank Boger
• Geneva History Museum Invites Artists To Celebrate Cultural Heritage
• Elgin’s Anson Clark Soared in The Great War … And Life
• What It Meant To Be a Patrol Boy and Louise White School
• ‘Men’s Night’ Christmas Shopping Was a 1950’s Aurora Phenomenon
• St. Charles Remembers Colson’s Christmas-Day Fire of ’33
• The Art of Elgin’s Cobblestone Reflections
• When Suffrage Met Prohibition in Batavia
• Geneva Presents The Art of The Fox River
• Blansford Astronomical Clock Is Aurora’s Treasure
• St. Charles Returns Family Heirlooms From WWII
• Museum Lands Painting By Elgin Artist Albert Kenney
• Cars Still Fixed at Historic Location in Downtown Batavia
• A Bird’s-Eye View of 19th Century Geneva
• Sheldon Peck: Kane County’s Connection To The Underground Railroad
• Elgin High School Celebrates 150 Years of ‘Education For All’
• Batavia’s Incredible Roller Skating History
• The Fabled History of Jewelry Stores in Geneva
• Astonishing Buried Treasure Discovered in Aurora Outhouse
• Lincoln Elementary School in St. Charles Celebrates 90 Years of Education
• Remembering Elgin High Grad, Renowned Composer Daniel Brewbaker, 1951 – 2017
• Meet Batavia’s Sharron Moran, LPGA Star, ‘Most Beautiful Golfer’ of 1966
• The Many Iterations of Geneva’s National Food Store
• The Burlington Zephyr — A ‘Silver Streak’ Through Aurora
• What IS That Thing in Downtown St. Charles?
• 18 Events, Limited-Edition Poster For Preservation Month in Elgin!
• Julius Amandus Anderson’s WWI Memorial Trapunto Banner
• Geneva’s Swedish Days Celebrates Its 70th Anniversary
• The Historic Drive To Save Aurora’s GAR Hall
• The Story of St. Charles’ Paddlewheel Riverboats
• Meet Elgin’s Legendary Marshal — Andrew Barclay Spurling
• Jackie DeShannon ‘Put A Little Love’ In Batavia