History

With your help, Jefferson Depot has expanded into an historic 19th century educational "living history" Village, complete with an 1888 Victorian House, as well as the historic 1872 Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad Station and 1918 Caboose, the 1848 "Church in the Wildwood" and 1849 Church Barn (possibly early Firehouse), the 1838 Spafford One-room Schoolhouse, Hohn's General Store, the 1860 Pharmacy, the 1845 Sheffield Post Office and the Benetka Blacksmith Shop. We just received an OUTHOUSE for the School! State officials are trying to locate a steam locomotive for the depot village also.

Come visit the restored historic 1872 Lake Shore
and Michigan Southern Railroad Station (better known as the Jefferson Depot) at 147 East Jefferson Street, Jefferson, Ohio.

See this unique 120-foot station with its ornate architecture of a bygone era, the exclusive "ladies waiting room," the operational wall-hung flush tanks, and the original potbelly stove. Take a stroll through the 1918 Tuscon Red Caboose and relive the days of our ancestors.

GUIDED TOURS every Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. during June, July, August and September. Group tours are available upon request. There are also facilities available for other groups to meet. Donations are appreciated.

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad Station was placed on the National Register of historic Places at a dedication ceremony in 1983 by the National Park Service, United States Department of Interior. It is owned by the Jefferson Depot, Inc., a non-profit organization with membership open to the public.

See the restored 1848 "Church in the Wildwood" (the original first Methodist Episcopal church built in Jefferson) at the depot village. This quaint church is available for weddings. Next to the church is the 1849 Barn, built for the circuit rider minister. (Possibly the early Jefferson firehouse with it's curved doors and shields on all the windows.) Enter the 1838 Spafford One-room Schoolhouse thru the appropriate door - girls on the left and boys on the right. The wooden blackboard still has the music staff visible.  Schedule an 1890 field trip and attend  school, tour the depot village buildings and listen to the storyteller relate early Jefferson history. 

Step Back in Time as you enter the 1860 Pharmacy, the first Sheffield Post Office, Hohn's General Store and the 1888 Victorian House in the historic 19th Century Jefferson Depot Village.

Jefferson Depot, Inc. was formed to restore, maintain and promote the Lake Shore and Michigan southern Railroad Station and other historic buildings and engage in the education and instruction of its members and the general public on a non-profit basis.

We invite you to join with us in the fun and fellowship of our monthly meetings and diversified programs held at the depot the first Monday of every month at 7:15p.m.. We strive to preserve a part of our heritage for future generations, bringing enjoyment and historical pleasure to many.

The Jefferson railroad station has once again become a center of activities with educational programs, hands-on workshops, meetings, tours, reunions and weddings. An annual "Strawberry Festival – Craft Bazaar" and Antique Car Show the 3rd weekend in June, a Patriotic Celebration "Early America LIVE" the 3rd weekend in July, an "Old fashioned Williamsburg Christmas Party" in December, and monthly programs are all open to the public.

Devoted members and friends volunteer regularly on Mondays and Thursdays, diligently restoring the historic depot, caboose, church, barn, one-room schoolhouse, general store, pharmacy, post office, blacksmith shop, and house. You are welcome to come and help restore these priceless treasures of a bygone era.In the Beginning…

On the tenth day of June, 1863, the stockholders of the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula railroad company agreed to the extension of the railroad line through Ashtabula county, connecting with the Jamestown and Franklin Division at the State line. To induce the railroad to come through Jefferson, local citizens led by E.B. and H.B. Woodbury secured the right-of-way and space for the depot. Work commenced in the spring of 1864.

On August 4, 1872, the first passenger train steamed into the Village of Jefferson, the County Seat of Ashtabula County.

In 1879, there were 14,635 passengers leaving from the Jefferson station with a revenue derived of $6,214 (Present approximate population is 3,000) In 1902, there were fifteen passenger trains stopping daily plus many freight trains. Most of the county residents came by train to pay their taxes and one of the first sidewalks built in Jefferson ran from the depot to the courthouse to accommodate our ancestors.

The last scheduled stop occurred in August, 1956. The express office closed in 1960 and the freight office closed in 1961.