Main Street Caboose
Introduction
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This was the location of the one-story passenger depot and freight office for the Lake Erie, Alliance & Wheeling Railroad, in service from 1911 to the 1960s. By 1947 the building was used for storage and sales, and it housed the Alliance Cycle Shop in the 1960s. This location is now home to a restored caboose, which is used for community events and concerts.
Images
The Main Street Caboose
Alliance Cycle Shop
Main Street Caboose renamed "The Carnation Caboose" pictured after renovation from fire damage, 2024
Backstory and Context
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The southeast corner of this intersection was home to a RAILROAD FREIGHT WAREHOUSE. The three-story freight house/office building was located on the corner. Behind this, and running along the tracks towards Columbia, was a long one-story freight warehouse. In 1898, the building was being used as a flour and feed store/warehouse. The railroad enlarged the warehouse when they started using it, sometime between 1898 and 1904.
The northeast corner of E. Market and Mechanic was the location of the one-story passenger depot and freight office for the Lake Erie Alliance & Wheeling Railroad, in service from 1911 to the 1960s.
By 1947, the building was used for storage and sales, and it housed the Alliance Cycle Shop in the 1960s. Now home to a restored caboose, the lot is used for community events and concerts. The caboose is a reminder of days gone by when the Lake Erie, Alliance, and Wheeling Railroad passed through downtown Alliance. The track line is now part of the Stark Parks connector trail linking the Iron Horse Trail with the Mahoning Valley Trail.
Sources
25 Top Historical Events in Alliance – The Caboose, Alliance Historical Society. June 15th 2020. Accessed August 9th 2020. https://alliancehistory.org/25-top-historical-events-in-alliance-the-caboose.
https://www.alliancememory.org/digital/collection/places/id/728/rec/1
https://www.alliancememory.org/digital/collection/places/id/260/rec/2
Alliance Historical Society. Photo by Karen Perone