It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Fredericktown, Missouri Railroad Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was the first of only three structures in Madison County currently listed on the National Register.
The national recognition of the Fredericktown Depot calls attention to the important role that the community played as a transportation center of this important mining and timber region.
Constructed in 1918 by the Missouri Pacific Railroad, the one story brick structure was designed to serve the needs of passengers and freight arriving and departing on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad.
Located a short distance north of downtown, the Fredericktown Depot occupied an important role in the economic life of the entire region. The building was built in accordance with standardized railroad designs, with a low pitched hipped roof, and unusually wide eaves to protect passengers and freight on the loading docks.
With the assistance of several members of The Fredericktown Foundation for Historic Preservation, Christine Mitchell and Andrew Halter, two students from the Historic Preservation Program at Southeast Missouri State University, researched and documented the history of the depot as a class project, and submitted the detailed application for National Register consideration.
In November of 1999 the State Advisory Council met and voted to move the application on to the National Board which approved the recommendation and advanced it on to the Secretary of the Interior.
On February 10, 2000 the Fredericktown, Missouri Railroad Depot was recognized as an important part of America’s national heritage.