Fenton Historical Society
Fenton Depot
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The 1882 Depot

The Fenton Depot is on the list of the National Historical Register.
 
The railroad came to Fenton in 1856. The original depot was built shortly after the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railroad was completed in 1857, it was later known as the Grand Trunk.
 
The original depot was made of wood and built on the north side of the tracks. Sometime around 1880 it is said the Depot burned down. In 1882 they completed the decorative brick depot on the south side of the tracks.
 
The brick Depot burned on 19 March 1923 and the roof and portions of the building were rebuilt after that. This is the building you see today.
 
Other buildings with the depot included:
A Receiving Station which existed beside the depot to the west, when it was on the North side of the tracks. It was used as a warehouse for things going to and from the railroad, it later burned down.
East of the present Depot building on the south side were the Water Tower, the Sand Storage building and tower which included the drying stove and storage areas, and also the Engine Ash Pit was located here. 
 
Just southeast of all this was a roundtable. The original railroad used to terminate here in 1856, so the turntable was built to turn the trains around for the return trip. The turntable had an Engine House, Engine repair and service, and Coaling tower also.

In November of 1974 the GTW closed their agency at the Fenton Depot. It is now owned by the city of Fenton, and it has been used by the city for various offices since then. At the present time it is the Economic Development Office.


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There were many spurs coming off the mainline of the railroad. This map of 1907 shows where they were all located, and where they went.

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Click on Image to Enlarge

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