Urbana in Champaign County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Pennsylvania Railroad Depot

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 12, 2016

1. Pennsylvania Railroad Depot Marker (side A)

Inscription. (side A)
Construction of the Columbus, Piqua, and Indiana Central Railroad started in 1850 and was finished in 1854. Later referred to as the "Panhandle Railroad," it ran from Columbus to Bradford. During the Civil War, the line carried supplies and troops and it was extended from Bradford to Richmond, Indiana. President Lincoln's funeral train traveled the route on April 29, 1865. Eventually, three railway lines crossed Urbana: the Big Four, the Pennsylvania,and the Erie. "Corn brooms," woolen cloth, horse carriages, and tinware were shipped by railroad to national markets and regular passenger service carried residents to destinations across the country, including Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and Washington, D.C. (Continued on other side) (side b) (Continued from other side) The Pennsylvania Railroad built a new station in Urbana in 1894. The firm of Packard and Yost from Columbus, the architects of the Urbana Presbyterian Church, designed the station. Inside were a ticket office, bathrooms, central fireplace, and separate waiting rooms: one for men and another for women and children. The depot was also conveniently

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

located near stations of other railroads serving Urbana, the Big Four and the Erie and is 46.751 miles from Columbus. In 1976, the station became part of the Conrail System. Since then, several businesses had occupied the depot until the Simon Kenton Pathfinders purchased it and sold it to the City of Urbana in a partnership to provide amenities for users of the Simon Kenton Trail. The newly restored depot was rededicated in 2007.

Erected 2011 by City of Urbana, Champaign County Bicentennial Historical Marker Committee, The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 30-11.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists.

Location. 40° 6.523′ N, 83° 45.604′ W. Marker is in Urbana, Ohio, in Champaign County. It is at the intersection of West Miami Street (U.S. 36) and Storms Avenue, on the right when traveling west on West Miami Street.

Pennsylvania Railroad Depot Marker (side B) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 12, 2016

2. Pennsylvania Railroad Depot Marker (side B)

Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 644 Miami St, Urbana OH 43078, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains.

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 Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Johnson Manufacturing Company (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad (about 700 feet away); Fun Fact 4 (approx. ¼ mile away); Fun Fact 5 (approx. ¼ mile away); Fun Fact 3 (approx. ¼ mile away); Fun Fact 6 (approx. ¼ mile away); Francis Bailey (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Urbana.

Pennsylvania Railroad Depot Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 12, 2016

3. Pennsylvania Railroad Depot Marker

full view of marker

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 12, 2016

4. Pennsylvania Railroad Depot Marker

marker and depot can be seen at a distance

Photographed by Craig Doda, September 6, 2025

5. Pennsylvania Railroad Depot Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,012 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 12, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. 5. submitted on September 10, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.