Village Of Gaines

Between 1855 and 1858 the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway built a rail line from Detroit to Grand Haven. In 1856 Gaines Station was established as a rail stop and post office. In 1859 Henry Walker platted the town, aligning the streets with the railroad. The town soon became a local shipping hub with people, mail and goods arriving on daily trains. Departing trains carried such local goods as wheat, oats, barrel staves, lumber and broom handles. The Village of Gaines was incorporated in 1875.

[Back]: According to early Genesee County histories, the first building in Gaines was a wood-frame railroad depot. It was replaced by this brick depot in 1881. The station closed when rail service ended in the 1950s. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Genesee Avenue/Walker Street Historic District in 1983, it deteriorated over the years. In 1991 concerned citizens formed Gaines Station, Inc. to save the depot. Rehabilitation work lasted from 1992 to 1997. In 1998 the building reopened as a branch of the Genesee County Public Library.