Old house surprise: Missing Ashland depot

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) Squint as you walk by a decomposing Douglas fir structure on a residential street in Ashland and you'll see patches of peeling paint, called Southern Pacific yellow, peeking out through glassless windows. Stop. There's more to the story.

Barricaded behind weather-beaten boards and, until recently, shrouded by towering cottonwood trees and 10-foot-tall blackberry bushes is the city's first train depot. This significant piece of the state's past has been missing for a half century.

It was built in 1884. Charles Crocker, one of the Big Four of the Central Pacific Railroad, stood by Ashland's train depot three years later as he drove a symbolic golden spike into the last section of tracks circumnavigating the U.S, finally linking Oregon to California, and transforming Oregon's economy.

Fast forward to the landmark today: Inch by inch, a congregation of volunteers is unearthing the Queen Anne-style building and piecing together the curious story of how the decommissioned train depot was moved stealthily in the 1960s from the rail yard to this nondescript lot about three miles away.

The structure's survival remained a secret until this summer, when the property was sold by representatives of the third generation of the family that lived inside it. As word of the discovery slowly reaches city officials and historians, the reaction is the same: Who knew?

"I rode by this house for years," says Amy Gunter, a city employee who serves on the Ashland Historic Commission, "and never had a clue what was behind the walls."

The long-lost train depot was "hiding in plain sight," says historian Victoria Law, who operated the Ashland Railroad Museum and maintains an archive of railroad memorabilia.

Finding the gabled depot was a surprise, but it's not uncommon for homeowners to stumble upon vintage architectural elements hidden in their houses, especially during renovations.

Just as classic car collectors speak in hushed tones about "garage finds" long-forgotten gems camouflaged by dust or tarps there could be a bonanza of Victorian hardware, Arts & Crafts tile, vintage light fixtures and other valuables holed up in your home.

A number of Pioneer Era houses are "buried" inside later additions, says Peggy Moretti, executive director of the preservation group Restore Oregon.

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Old house surprise: Missing Ashland depot