Madison Railroad Station

615 W. 1st Street

In the 1890s, railroads became the preferred form of travel in the United States and in 1895, the Pennsylvania Railroad built a new passenger station on W. 1st Street. Ornate for its size, it boasted a ladies waiting room, indoor washrooms, central heating and electric lights, as well as a distinctive octagonal ceiling, complete with colorful stained glass.

Hollywood film star Irene Dunne would have passed through this station when visiting her hometown, and Spanish-American War and World War I soldiers would have boarded here on their way to—and return from—the front lines.

When automobiles took over the transportation landscape in the 1930s, the station served as a freight depot and later as commercial office space. It was purchased and restored, and now operates as a museum at the
Jefferson County Historical Society’s History & Art Center.