"The Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot at Independence, Missouri, is typical of the small railroad depots built throughout the Midwest in the early years of the twentieth century, designed by the Missouri Pacific Railroad to project a cohesive company image.' A,thriving transportation facility at the juncture of the Missouri Pacific and "Lexington Branch" lines, the Independence depot served the community for over fifty years as a passenger terminal. The most prominent individual associated with the depot was former President Harry S. Truman. Mr. Truman and his family made frequent use of the depot before, during and after his presidency. The strong association of Truman with the depot and the community led to its nickname, the Truman Train Station.
The existing Missouri Pacific Depot is the second station to occupy the site. Its predecessor had been in use for nearly fifty years, when it was finally retired and the present station built. Built ca. 1868, the original station was located directly east of the present station. Sometime after the construction of the present depot it was moved about 200 feet to the northwest and converted into a freight depot. It no longer exists.
The new station, built ca. 1912-13, was the long-time dream of Independence Mayor Llewellyn Jones. Mayor Jones, whose term saw many public improvements in the Independence area, was able to secure a guarantee from the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company to build a new station in April of 1912, after four years of negotiations.
During the period between 1900 and 1920, the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company replaced many of its earlier depots, constructed between 1860 and 1880, with new terminals. The new terminals, built throughout the Midwest, were designed in a uniform style in order to reflect a standard company image. The Missouri Pacific Depot at Independence was built to conform to this "image," incorporating such standard features as the low-slung hip roof capped with red tiles and simple brick construction highlighted only by string course and other details in contrasting stone.
Independence resident Harry S. Truman was a frequent passenger on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. President Truman made extensive use of the nation's railroads in his famous "Whistle Stop" campaign of 1948. Campaigning against Thomas E. Dewey of New York for the presidency of the United States, Truman covered the nation by rail, making 150 speaking engagements in approximately two months. Thousands of people gathered to meet Truman at the Independence Depot at the end of his "Whistle Stop" campaign.
From Independence, Truman made his famous pre-election radio address. Then, on November 3, 1948, he received notification of his election as President of the United States over Thomas E. Dewey in one of the biggest election upsets in the country's history. The following day, newly elected President Harry S. Truman boarded the train at the Missouri Pacific Depot at Independence for his triumphal return Washington, D.C." - National Register Nomination form
The passenger service stopped at the station in 1971 and it continued to used a freight terminal for several years. Passenger service has been restored at the station as it is one of the Amtrak stations in Missouri. It is also used as the Jackson County Genealogical Society Research Library. The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.