Historical Society launches campaign to restore 1871 train station

The Ozaukee County Historical Society last week announced a campaign to raise funds to restore the 1871 train station at Pioneer Village near Hawthorne Hills Golf Course on Highway I in the Town of Saukville.

The first train station in Cedarburg was dedicated on Jan. 2, 1871, to handle the increasing amount of rail traffic to and from Cedarburg.         

It was replaced on July 24, 1907, with a much larger station, with the old one used for storage. By this time, there were several railroads using the tracks to and from Cedarburg.

Passenger trains utilized the train station until December of 1950. While freight trains continued to run on the tracks, the need for the train station disappeared.

The station served the railroad as a shipping and delivery point and in a maintenance capacity.

By 1982, the station was in a state of disrepair. On Sept. 21, 1982, the Ozaukee County Historical Society Board of Directors voted to rescue the building.

On Jan. 18, 1983, the station was moved to Pioneer Village and was restored.

Thousands of visitors visit the station each year to revisit a bygone era by stepping into the station and viewing its railroad memorabilia. In 2019, 5,856 visitors toured the village.

Artifacts on display include those from the Milwaukee Road and other items of railroad history. Each August the station platform proudly sets the stage for “Bluegrass at the Village,” one of the largest bluegrass festivals in the area.

The historical society continues to maintain, patch and repair the train station. However, time, weather and sun have created the need to replace damaged boards, scrape off the old layers of paint, and repaint the exterior of the building. In addition, overhead lights need to be replaced.

The work is expected to take more than a month.

The historical society has applied for several grants but is seeking private donations to complete the work on the railroad station.

Donations can be sent to OCHS, Attn: Train Station, P.O. Box 206, Cedarburg, WI 53012 or online at www.ochs.co.ozaukee.wi.us/membership and scroll down to “Online Donation/Membership”.