Depot Museum & Trail

The Saline Railroad Depot, with its freight house, telegraph, and passenger facilities, served as a crucial link in the economic transformation that took place between Saline’s rural hinterlands and the outside world.

Without the access the Depot afforded, Saline probably would have gone the way of thousands of small midwestern towns. The story of our Depot is not only the story of village growth, it is the story of Saline’s integration into the larger economy of the country.

Although all the original surrounding buildings have been removed, the Depot still stands on its original site. During its heyday, the complex consisted of a depot building, storage barn, wool barn, livestock pens, loading facilities, water storage tank and outdoor bathroom.

Tours: The Depot Museum is open year round on Saturdays for browsing and for guided tours. Visitors will see a station agent’s room, freight room, furnished caboose, and livery barn. A restored Eclipse Windmill is on the property. Regular hours are 11:00-3:00 and by appointment. Groups larger than ten require a reservation. Call 734-944-0442

Depot Trail

The Depot Trail is 1/4-mile long and runs between North Ann Arbor and Harris streets.  The trail was installed in 2006 by clearing brush and trees from an abandoned RR with a lot of hard work from a number of citizens. The funds which paid for that portion of the work that could not be completed by volunteers came from the Washtenaw Steps Up grant via the community group, “Pick Up the Pace, Saline” (PUPS).  The trail is made of crushed, compacted limestone to provide a walkable, bikeable surface.  Further enhancements were made to the trail in 2007 including public art, plantings, a bench, and bike rack from the same funding source.