SOUTH HAVEN, MI
| This is the 1910 Michigan Central depot in South Haven.
It replaced an earlier building that burned. The building to the left of
the covered walkway was an open air waiting area with a fountain in the
center.
The tracks were originally built by the Kalamazoo &
South Haven Rail Road . This was probably just a construction company formed
by the Michigan Central, for it was leased in perpetuity to the MC in 1870.
At one time, this was a fairly busy passenger route. The
1902 MC timetable shows four daily passenger
trains, and two daily mixed trains serving South Haven, except Sunday when
there was only one train each way. Passenger service lasted until July 1,
1937, but by then service had been downgraded to a single mixed train each
way. The Kalamazoo-South Haven tracks are gone, replaced by the Kal-Haven
bike trail.
The building is nicely maintained and open to the public as
the Depot Deli. Two nearby cabooses are available as motel rooms during the
warm weather months. |
Track Side
Caboose w/ Room to Rent, Interior shown below.
Open-air Waiting Area, shown on Old Postcard
|
