116 West Malone Avenue
Sikeston, Missouri
573-481-9967
Built as the Iron Mountain Railroad Train Depot in 1916, "The Depot" became a museum and cultural center in 2000. The Depot features dozens of permanent and rotating exhibits depicting the area's history and art. The history of railroads in Sikeston dates bate to 1853 when a group of businessmen from Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee met in nearby Benton to form the Cairo Fulton Railroad. When John Sikes founded the town of Sikeston in 1860, he set aside property on the track thus assuring that Sikeston had a railroad depot. Sikeston was a supply depot of such importance in the Civil War that the track between Sikeston and Charleston were torn up to stop supplies from arriving in the area. When the Cairo Fulton defaulted on bonds issued by the state of Missouri after the war, and ownership was transferred to the Iron Mountain Railroad. In 1916, the Iron Mountain began building the present depot. Soon after the building was constructed, the line was acquired by the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company. It remained a Missouri Pacific station until the company merged with Union Pacific in 1982. The Sikeston Depot was closed in 1985 and the building was emptied, the windows boarded up, and the building became completely dormant.
In 1997, concerned citizens met to discuss revitalization of the Depot, forming the Sikeston Cultural Development Corporation and worked with the railroad and the School of the Ozarks to open the facility for community use. In 2000 the Sikeston Historical and Cultural Center (The Sikeston Depot Museum) opened to the public. The facility contains a historic museum section recounting the most important aspects of area culture, an exhibition hall where rotating and traveling exhibits are displayed, an art gallery featuring artists from different areas and disciplines, and a small community room where a video of Sikeston’s history is shown. The Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Visiting the Sikeston Depot
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm
Closed on Sundays and Mondays
There is no charge to visit the Sikeston Depot although donations are appreciated
Visit the greatriverroad.com art trail section for more art related attractions and events in the Middle Mississippi River Valley.
Learn more about the community of Sikeston
The Sikeston Depot - The official website of the Sikeston Depot.