Alton Station
Springfield Journal Register, date of paper which originally published the following is unknown.
"THE ALTON STATION AND ITS SETTING IN THE LATE 90'S --
The Chicago & Alton depot at 3rd and Washington, shown above, was built in 1895 -
the first of two modern railroad stations erected in that decade, the other being the Illinois
Central depot, in 1897. If memory serves, its predecessor on this site was a frame structure dating back to the
1850's. . . . A contemporary account stated that this station cost $50,000 -- which was a lot of money in those
days, and that the road's passenger revenues then amounted to $100,000 annually, with 14 trains to Chicago, Peoria and
St. Louis in operation daily. . . . The account told eloquently of the architectural excellence of the structure.
Originally the ticket office was located in the tower room and the lunch room in the bay opposite, but these arrangements
were reversed after a few years as the volume of passenger business increased. . . . Springfield has pleasant memories
of Passenger Agent Joseph P. Lindley and other employees of the road in the early days of this station.
Submitted by: Jeanie Lowe.
Index