Saint Paul Depot
©MM HCHS
The Union Pacific Depot Transportation Museum was built for use on the main line in Gibbon, Nebraska in 1908, sold and moved to Shelton in 1975, where it was remodeled and and used as an office. It was purchased by the Howard County Historical Society and moved to Saint Paul in December of 1998. Volunteers have painted its exterior, replaced its roof with authentic replica at the cost of $25,000, removed all interior plaster and most laths, and reglazed all the windows. A Transportation Enhancement grant of $125,000 from the Nebraska Department of Roads and a $53,000 loan from a local bank has paid for the restoration to its original blueprint, and completed the repair of the exterior, and built the platform and ADA entrance.
The depot coal shed/outdoor toilet was an adjunct to the second-St. Paul Union Pacific depot. ‘It was probably sold to an early settler, C.V. Svoboda, about 1916 and moved to his home at the west end of Main Street where it stood until 2001 When it was donated to the Society by Marian Odabasi. It is used for storage and will not be restored. The west end was a coal shed; the east end held separate toilets for men and women.