Eatonia’s Heritage Park

I once lived in Eatonia, a town just down the highway from me, and even back then, the train station and beautiful yellow house always caught my attention. I recently was invited to tour Eatonia Heritage Park and I love what they have created.

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I arrived early, knowing I’d want to use the beautiful buildings as backdrops for some photos. The weather was dreary, but I was impressed at how beautifully kept the yard, buildings, and pathways were. As I played around with my tripod, a train carrying maintenance machinery went speeding by on the tracks.

The park has 3 main attractions: the 2 story Eaton House, the Caboose, and the Train Station.  My tour started in the house.  The photo album on the coffee table showed huge the transformation that this house has gone through. Wow! These volunteers have been busy!

Eaton’s Houses were well known because you could order them from a catalog, along with clothes and furniture! It would have been a big deal for the original owners. Eventually, the new owners of the property donated the historic house to the town and through grants and volunteers, it became what it is today. ( There is a clip of the photo album in this video that shows what shape the house was in before renovations started.)

Each room is set up like it may have been in the olden days.  Handwritten notes tell the history of the items that have been donated by locals.  The upstairs bedrooms are decorated as a boys and girls room, a nursery, and the parents’ room. Each display more local history.

The caboose has a stage out front where presentations and events are held and next to it is a shop with a yellow cart ( I don’t remember what they are called) that was donated by an enthusiast passing through. The cart can be moved out of the shop, as it sits on a small track.

Next was the train station. Half of the building is used as the community library and the other half is set up as a museum.  The rooms that would have acted as barracks, are now themed to showcase local history.  There’s a hospital room , a school room, and more. I have always loved the look of old train stations. Maybe it’s because I dream about getting on a train and traveling the world.

My favorite part of the tour was when the ladies asked me if I wanted to see the secret bunker in the basement. Um, YEAH!

A small hall lead to a thick curtain that was oiled and supposedly would have kept those hiding safe from radiation. ( I wouldn’t bet on it!) Another interesting tidbit was that there were only 2 beds in the bunker because the Mayor and the Train Station Manager were the only ones allowed in, even in an emergency. We guessed that the station manager would have known Morse Code. There was a radiation detector and shelves that would have stored canned goods.

As I get more and more involved in tourism projects, grant applications, and local committees, I gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for all of the work that goes into creating a space/ attraction like they have at Eatonia Heritage Park.

Definitely stop in the next time you pass through. During the off season, you can find a list of local phone numbers to call for a tour.