Orrville Depot Put on Historic Register

The former union depot in Orrville and the interlocking tower that once guarded the crossing there have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The depot, built in 1868, served passenger trains of the Pennsylvania Railroad and later Penn Central until the coming of Amtrak in 1971. Both facilities are now owned and operated by the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society. At one time, Orrville was the crossing of the Chicago-Pittsburgh mainline of the Pennsy with the Hudson-Columbus branch. Most of the latter has been abandoned with only a small stub left in Orrville to serve local industries. The tracks are now owned by Norfolk Southern. The tower and depot are part of the Orrville Downtown Historic District. The ORHS maintains offices in the depot as well as a small museum and gift shop.