Lucky Clover Leaf

As railroads expanded across Indiana during the nineteenth century, towns along the lines constructed stations and depots. Small and large, many were designed to impress, built in popular architectural styles to make a good first impression on arriving passengers.

Today, a growing number of those buildings are gone—lost to disuse, neglect, or development. Veedersburg, however, can still boast not one but two historic depots. Currently one of them, the 1903 Clover Leaf Depot, is targeted for rehabilitation and on its way to becoming the town’s first landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In the early twentieth century, Veedersburg thrived as a busy stop for two separate railroads, The Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad (nicknamed the Clover Leaf) and the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, both of which built passenger depots.

The Clover Leaf depot served passenger trains for nearly 60 years, then as a storage facility for the rail line. By the 1980s, with both of Veedersburg’s railroad lines dormant, the Clover Leaf Depot fell into relative disuse.

Even in vacancy, with its large arched entryway, broad sweeping roof, and colorful paint scheme the Clover Leaf Depot continued to be an eye-catching downtown landmark. When the Town announced plans to acquire the property, local preservation group Veedersburg Rehabilitation Association (VRA) approached the town council with hopes of finding a public use for the historic depot.

With the council’s approval, VRA eagerly jumped into action, using a grant from Indiana Landmarks’ Efroymson Family Endangered Places program to fund a rehabilitation plan for the depot, and commissioning a consultant to prepare the National Register nomination. The group also launched a fundraising and awareness campaign to garner support for revitalizing the depot.

At its first “Depot Day” at the train station earlier this month, VRA offered tours of the building, displays on Veedersburg’s railroad history, games and rides for children, and an opportunity for attendees to share ideas for repurposing the station.

Learn more about the Veedersburg Revitalization Association and the historic Cloverleaf Depot at the group’s Facebook page.