North Lee County Historical Society

Housed in the former the 1910 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Passenger Railroad (Santa Fe) depot, the North Lee County Historical Society explores the history of the area through its exhibits containing documents, artifacts, and photographs. The Society also operates a transportation museum in the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) depot located just to the north, the Old Lee County Jail, and a one-room schoolhouse called Brush College located north of the city. Attached to the Santa Fe depot building is a Railway Express Agency building erected in 1926. Next to that is the Santa Fe Railroad office building which was constructed in 1934. A red Santa Fe caboose is on display next to the depot, and a 1944 steam locomotive is on display a short distance to the east. The depot is an excellent example of Mission Revival architecture. The Santa Fe buildings are listed together on the National Register of Historic Places as the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Passenger and Freight Complex Historic District.

The Santa Fe Railroad arrived in Fort Madison in 1887 as part of a plan to reach Chicago from Kansas, where the company was headquartered. It built a bridge over the Mississippi River and rail traffic began in December of that year (It was replaced in 1927 by the current one which is the longest double-decker, swing-span bridge in the world). The railroad's facility quickly developed into a vital division and crew change point and had a locomotive repair shop as well. As a result, Fort Madison soon became an important railroad hub in southeastern Iowa.

In the late 1910s, the company decided it was time to build a new, more permanent depot that was more appropriate and impressive to upper-class tourists. It used the Mission Revival Style in this depot and others to help promote its western routes and the company's advertisements of western sites featured references to old Spanish colonial missions and ancient Indian cultures. The depot was the Santa Fe's only passenger stop in Iowa and was designed to be a showpiece for the railroad.

The Santa Fe Railroad operated the depot until 1968 when it moved to a new facility. The city acquired the buildings and leased them the North Lee County Historical Society in 1972, which opened the museum at that time. In the coming decades the buildings were restored. In 2006 plans were formulated to convert the depot into an Amtrak station. However, the Amtrak station is still located to the southwest.

"Fort Madison, IA (FMD)." The Great American Stations. Accessed December 10, 2021. http://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/fort-madison-ia-fmd.

"North Lee County Historical Society Museums." Accessed December 13, 2021. http://www.fortmadison-ia.com/508/North-Lee-County-Historical-Society-Muse.

Sallen, David U. & Sallen, Sheila M. "Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Passenger and Freight Complex Historic District." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. March 5, 1992. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/92000100_text.