In 2004 the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Freight House, at the jct. of Auburn and Brookdale was listed on the National Register of Historic places. Completed and first occupied in 1904, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Freight House calls attention to the “Golden Age of Railroading” in Iowa and its effects on the commercial growth of Chariton as a southern Iowa wholesale and distribution center.
The Freight House possesses an interior space of over 3,700 square feet, and reflects Chariton’s importance as a division point for the CB&Q and the city’s emerging role as a distribution center.We have the Lucas County Arts Council to thank for stepping in when no other organization would to save the then-endangered Freight House and marshaling the resources needed to restore it and return it to active life. Under Arts Council ownership, it serves primarily as a public venue for events ranging from meetings and reunions to weddings and receptions.
