A piece of Braidwood history remains intact

The Braidwood Area Historical Society is extremely happy that one of the most historical buildings in town, the railroad depot, made a successful move to a new home at Center and Main Streets in Braidwood on Sunday, June 28.  What a thrill it was to see it so gently travel across the tracks and down Main Street.

As much as we may have preferred that it remain on the railroad and/or Rt. 53 (old Rt. 66), we are relieved that it is being preserved. Berkots donated the building to the city, providing it be moved. The City of Braidwood purchased a parcel of land for the depot at the corners of Main and Center Streets. Exelon made a generous donation to help defray some of the cost of moving the building.

BAHS made a contribution to the city toward the construction of the new foundation for the depot. Odle Construction and House Movers of Kankakee were contracted to move the huge structure. Mr. Ray Odle expressed interest in its construction history and provided some structural information.  The move was very professionally executed!  Hopefully, the foundation will be poured, and the building secured on it soon.

We thank the City of Braidwood and its concerned citizens for support of this town’s history. We hope to partner with the city to have a historical museum to record, preserve, protect and display local historical items.

Plans will be made to educate our children and citizens about the rich history of our area, and the great people who helped form our locale. This history will be available for all the public to view and learn for generations to come.

BAHS received its charter as a not-for-profit society in March 2007. In just more than two years we have presented a number of events. One of the most rewarding was our involvement in refurbishing and rededicating the WWII memorial at the corner of Main and Railroad Streets.

We have hosted fund-raising events, a piano concert, a “Potters Field” discussion, a Route 66 informational presentation, and others. Financial support as well as volunteer hours from our citizens will be much needed and appreciated.