Andy Close
SHEFFIELD, Pa. – Warren County is a place rich in history, and if you know where to look there are places that help tell its unique story.
The Sheffield Depot Heritage Museum, located at 75 Center St. in Sheffield, is one of those places.
The hours vary, and the workers are all volunteers.
“We kind of freelance it,” said Dennis Sturdevant of the Sheffield Depot Preservation Society (he also serves as Sheffield Township Historian). “We don’t really have set hours.”
What they do have is a museum that paints a descriptive picture of Warren County’s railroad history.
“In 2006, we negotiated with the railroad to sell the property and the building,” noted Sturdevant. “The wheels of the railroad can turn awful slow. It was just one thing after another, but we finally got it done.”
The museum is chalked full of artifacts from a bygone train era.
Railroads have played a large role in the history of Warren County, dating all the way back to the mid-1800s. In the early days, they connected different parts of the state running from Philadelphia to Erie.
The initial run through Warren County came in 1864. Not long after, railways of all different names and gauges were the norm.
The final passenger train came through in 1965, and during those 100-plus years, there is quite the story to tell.
The museum is home to a wide variety of models and artifacts. You could literally spend hours looking through it all.
“It’s all about the history of the town,” Sturdevant said. “If we hadn’t opened the doors in 2006, a lot of the artifacts that have been donated would have been gone. This is history. We had people leave for the war here, passengers that came and went, milk was delivered, feed for horses, all kinds of different things being delivered.”
And a number of renovations have been made to it since they opened their doors.
“Last year we finished the waiting room … the floor was in really bad shape,” noted Sturdevant. “Cochran & Zandi Lumber provided the lumber at no charge. We also did the restroom area. This year, we just finished the office area. We did that in black cherry. Now we have to get all the furniture back in.”
And more projects are on the horizon.
“We have a lot of future projects,” Sturdevant said. “We sent out appeal letters to keep us viable. I think our future project is doing something with the brick outside. We need to become more handicap accessible.”
And more and more people are finding out about it.
The Depot has been part of the Warren County Historical Society’s scavenger hunt this summer titled ‘Trail of History.’
The Trail of History Challenge is a family-friendly, summer-long event where participants follow the clues to 12 different historic locations throughout Warren County.
“We’re No. 2 on the list,” Sturdevant said. “It’s all about history.”
Sturdevant gave the clue and the answer, but we’re not going to give it away. You’ll have to play to find out for yourself!
And while you’re at it, take a look inside this wonderful museum. You won’t be disappointed.
Touring Warren County series: The Wilder Museum • Kinzua Point • 4th of July Celebration • Music in the Park
NOTE: This is the fifth in a summer series of Touring Warren County, highlighting some of the unique places to visit in our area. Places you think we should feature? Email us at [email protected]
