Rock Island Depot, Lonoke Arkansas

Date added: January 02, 2025

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The Rock Island Depot served this central Arkansas agricultural community for seventy-two years. For most of these years it has been the commercial and economic center of activity for Lonoke and Lonoke County. Constructed in 1912 at a cost of $26,000, the building replaced an earlier depot that had been constructed in 1899 to serve traffic along this Memphis to Little Rock line. Cotton, rice, flour, soybeans, timber, and other commodities were shipped on the Rock Island line from the Lonoke depot.

The city of Lonoke is one whose history is directly related to railroad transportation. The original Memphis to Little Rock Railroad went through Brownsville which was located a few miles north of the present town of Lonoke. Federal troops destroyed the tracks during the Civil War and they were later relocated in present-day Lonoke. The commercial district developed on either side of the tracks; one side being designated North Front Street and one side referred to as South Front.

According to local newspaper accounts announcing the construction of the 1912 facility, "The building will be of pressed brick and fireproof material and will have every convenience that goes to make up one of the best buildings on the line." The building that T. B. Davis and his building crew constructed aptly fit this description.

The Rock Island Depot has catered not only to the freight and passenger needs of the citizens of the county, but has also been the hub for a great deal of political activity. Governors (Ben Laney, Sid McMath, Orville Faubus, and Winthrop Rockefeller), Senators (John McClellan and W. J. Fulbright), and local politicians have all made speeches from trains stopped at the depot. As was the case in all small American towns, soldiers serving during World War II and the Korean conflict departed from the depot. News of their later status was also filtered through the depot as it was the site of the local telegram service.

The Rock Island Depot in Lonoke ceased to function as an active depot some years ago. Its transference to the city for use by the local historical society ensures that the building's service to the community will continue.

Building Description

Sited on South Front Street, the Lonoke Depot is a fine, unaltered example of an early twentieth-century depot. Constructed in 1912 of red brick, this handsome structure has a steeply pitched red tile gable roof and exhibits the subtle influence of the Jacobethan Revival.

Completed in November of 1912, the Lonoke Depot is typical of depots constructed throughout Arkansas early in the twentieth century. While many such depots no longer exist, this refined structure remains a focal point of downtown Lonoke. Though similar to the Rock Island Depot in Fordyce, Dallas County, the Lonoke Depot pre-dates Fordyce by thirteen years. Located on the south side of the railroad that intersects the downtown from east to west, it is situated on a 80 x 300-foot tract of land to the west of Center Street. The building faces north and is located across the street from the site of the 1899 frame depot.

The depot is a one-story red brick structure with a red tile-covered steeply-pitched gable roof. The gable end on the east and west elevations are stepped and project above the roof, thus creating a parapet that is finished with cast stone coping. The building is 28 x 100 feet and consists of three distinct sections; a large 28 x 20 foot shipping area, an office area, and a passenger area. The depot has a concrete foundation and full basement. A single brick chimney with a cast stone cap pierces the west end of the roof ridge. Windows throughout the building are double-hung with vertical lights in the upper sash and cast stone sills.

The north elevation features a central three-sided telegrapher's bay that pierces the slope of the roof, terminating with a gabled dormer, in front of which a low crenellated parapet echos the lines of the bay projection. Both the dormer and parapet are finished with cast stone coping. The north slope of the roof extends beyond the wall, creating a protective overhang. The section to the right of the telegrapher's office is devoted to shipping, with a single double-hung window flanked to the left by a door and to the right by a sliding door.

The larger section to the left of the bay projection has a pair of windows flanked on either side by a door and window. The wood doors have single-light upper sash and transoms. Windows on this elevation are all four-over-one.

The South Street facade has a gabled projection directly opposite the projection on the north elevation. Two small double-hung windows are aligned with the heads of three pairs of windows to the right of the projection. Three fixed windows detail the gable end. Two small windows and a freight door are located to the left.

The east end elevation has a four-over-one window flanked on either side by a narrow two-over-one window. A cast stone plaque in the gable end is engraved with "Lonoke" and a painted "Rock Island" sign is located at the north corner. The west elevation is identical to the east, with the exception that the three windows are fixed.

The interior has a large waiting area and freight area which are separated by offices. Walls are exposed brick and the ceilings are plastered. Pressed granite floors are laid in decorative patterns. Doors are paneled wood with transoms. Original lighting and steam heat units are intact.

The original mail post, which trains used to detach mail bags, is in place along side a look-out tower atop the building.