Stuart in Adair County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Stuart Historic Rock Island Railroad Depot
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, November 18, 2025
1. Stuart Historic Railroad Depot Marker
Built: 1879, In operation until 1960's
Put on National Historic Register in 1980
Renovated: 1997 - 2015
Now: Community Center & Historic Artifacts Displays
Erected by The Stuart Depot Restoration Committee.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 41° 30.214′ N, 94° 19.016′ W. Marker is in Stuart, Iowa, in Adair County. It is on Front Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1199 Front St, Stuart IA 50250, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Iowa. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 16 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Adair County Freedom Rock Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.3 miles away); Fighting Slavery - Aiding Runaways (approx. 8.6 miles away); Co. H. 39th Iowa Volunteer Infantry (approx. 8.6 miles away); Welcome to Panora (approx. 13.2 miles away); Western Skies Scenic Byway (approx. 13.3 miles away); Women Pioneers Memorial (approx. 15.4 miles away); Prominent Pioneers Memorial (approx. 15.4 miles away); The Heaton Block (approx. 15.6 miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. First National Bank (was about 600 feet away, measured in a direct
this page online
Also see . . . Stuart station (Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad). (Submitted on June 28, 2026, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin.)
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, November 3, 2025
2. Stuart Historic Rock Island Railroad Depot viewed from the west
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, November 18, 2025
3. Stuart Historic Rock Island Railroad Depot and Marker viewed from Front Street
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, November 18, 2025
4. Stuart Historic Rock Island Railroad Depot
Photographed by Susan Van Den Bosch, November 18, 2025
5. Stuart Historic Rock Island Railroad Depot Marker
Book Quote
"We stood in front of the railroad-ticket shack in Stuart, waiting for the westbound traffic till the sun went down, a good five hours, dawdling away the time...I decided to spend a buck on beer; we went to an old saloon in Stuart and had a few...We got back on the road in the darkness, and of course nobody stopped and nobody came by much. That went on till three o'clock in the morning. We spend some time trying to sleep on the bench at the railroad ticket office, but the telegraph clicked all night and we couldn't sleep...so when the Omaha bus came through just before dawn we hopped on it and joined the sleeping passengers.
On the Road: Chapter 3 Jack Kerouac, 1957
"We stood in front of the railroad-ticket shack in Stuart, waiting for the westbound traffic till the sun went down, a good five hours, dawdling away the time...I decided to spend a buck on beer; we went to an old saloon in Stuart and had a few...We got back on the road in the darkness, and of course nobody stopped and nobody came by much. That went on till three o'clock in the morning. We spend some time trying to sleep on the bench at the railroad ticket office, but the telegraph clicked all night and we couldn't sleep...so when the Omaha bus came through just before dawn we hopped on it and joined the sleeping passengers.
On the Road: Chapter 3 Jack Kerouac, 1957
Credits. This page was last revised on June 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2026, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 28, 2026, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
