Essex in Essex County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Essex Railway Station

Photographed by Tim Boyd, May 15, 2026

1. Essex Railway Station Marker

Inscription. Built in 1887 by the Michigan Central Railway, the Essex Railway Station and the train tracks laid across the Talbot Trail established Essex Centre as the shipping hub of Essex County. The building was the only station of stone construction on the Canada Southern Railway.

The station was heavily damaged in 1907 When a boxcar loaded with 5,000 pounds of nitroglycerine exploded 75 yards from the building. Following a nearby natural gas explosion in 1980, the building was fully restored to its natural beauty by Heritage Essex Inc.

The building served the community as a train station until 1979, when the last passenger train rolled through town. CN freight service continued until the fall of 2012 when the rail ties and steel tracks were removed.

In 1977, the Essex Railway Station was recognized by the Town of Essex for its historical significance and received formal designation under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Erected by Essex Municipal Heritage Committee.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.

Location. 42° 10.576′ N, 82° 49.279′ W.

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Marker is in Essex, Ontario, in Essex County. It is at the intersection of Station Street and Cameron Avenue, on the left when traveling west on Station Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 87 Station St, Essex ON N8M 2S6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Southwest Ontario Area

and in Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 21 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Essex Terminal Railway Caboose (within shouting distance of this marker); First Baptist Church, Puce / Première Église Baptiste de Puce (approx. 11 kilometers away); Puce River Black Community (approx. 11.8 kilometers away); Historic McGregor (approx. 12.6 kilometers away); The Banwell Road Area Black Settlement (approx. 13.7 kilometers

Photographed by Tim Boyd, May 15, 2026

2. Essex Railway Station Marker

Centre of photo

away); The Founding of Belle River / La Fondation de Belle-Rivière (approx. 15.6 kilometers away); Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda / L’Église Universaliste Unitarienne d’Olinda (approx. 15.9 kilometers away); Pelee Passage Lighthouse (approx. 20.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Essex.

Essex Railway Station after the 1907 explosion image. Click for full size.

3. Essex Railway Station after the 1907 explosion

Source: Windsor Star (public domain)

Essex Railway Station in 2026 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, May 15, 2026

4. Essex Railway Station in 2026

Credits. This page was last revised on May 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 23, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.