Santa Fe Depot – Shawnee, Oklahoma - Atlas Obscura
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Santa Fe Depot

Shawnee, Oklahoma

Though it's no longer a functioning train depot, this castle-like structure is an important piece of Oklahoma history. 

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Left: Santa Fe Depot kennethaw88 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Right: Santa Fe Depot in Shawnee, Oklahoma kennethaw88 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Santa Fe Depot in Shawnee, Oklahoma kennethaw88 / CC BY-SA 4.0
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Built between 1902 and 1905, the Santa Fe Depot in Shawnee, Oklahoma, was a train depot until 1973. Often compared to a lighthouse or castle, the building was designed by Charles Whittlesay, an architect for the Santa Fe Railroad.  His idea for the “Romanesque” style of the depot came from buildings he had seen in Scotland.

The depot used to house the Pottawatomi County History Museum.  The museum moved to its collection to a new building not far from the iconic structure and has temporarily closed the inside of the depot to visitors.  The real beauty of the building is the outside structure, though, and visitors are welcome to walk around it and take pictures to their hearts content.

Know Before You Go

The depot is closed on the inside, but the property belongs to the Pottawatomi County Historical Society and is open to the public. The Pottawatomi County History Museum is located just north of the depot.

railroads trains architectural oddities museums architecture
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