The Michigan Central Railroad Chelsea Depot is a railroad depot located at 150 Jackson Street in Chelsea, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1986 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. The depot is the only known Michigan example designed by the well known Detroit architectural firm of Mason and Rice.HistoryThe land where the Chelsea Depot now sits was first settled in the 1830s by brothers Elisha and James Congdon. In 1848, the Congdons offered the Michigan Central Railroad a plot of land along the rail line on which to build a station. The railroad accepted, and the first structure built at the site was a freight station, completed in 1850. A series of freight stations followed, and the resulting freight business through the town spurred the growth of Chelsea in the mid-1800s. However, in 1875, the last of these depots - a rather shabby shed - was destroyed under suspicious circumstances, and the railroad was slow to bebuild it.In 1880, the railroad decided to establish passenger service in Chelsea, and chose the site for an experiment in improving the appearance and design of their rural stations. The railroad hired Detroit architects Mason and Rice to design the new station. It was built and commissioned in 1880, and served as a Michigan Central Railroad passenger station until 1975, when the company went out of business. Amtrak took over the line, and continued service until 1981, when the station was closed. For the next few years, the station was used for storage.
