Built in 1904, the building is made of limestone blocks two to three feet thick, and assembled in the Romanesque revival style. The depot's floor plan is based on the style of early European churches. A tower resembling a Scottish lighthouse rises up from the east side of a multi-arched portico. The beautiful ceilings of the depot are made of stained boxcar siding. The structure was put on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1974. In 1977, it was traded to the city of Shawnee and opened as a museum in 1982. The depot is also home to the Historical Society of Pottawatomie County. Museum houses local exhibits and artifacts. Educational programs available.