MINERAL POINT, Wis. (WMTV) - Wisconsin’s oldest train depot, which operated for almost 130 years, now serves as a museum where volunteers share the mining town’s unique history.

Joe Van Matre, 94, volunteers at the museum as part of his routine. Van Matre was born just eight miles from Mineral Point and has witnessed significant changes over his lifetime.

“The biggest thing since when I started living here was electricity,” Van Matre said.

Depot operated through multiple eras

From the 1850s to the 1980s, the depot operated with multiple different railroad systems cycling through. The facility eventually closed and sat empty for almost two decades.

“There was literally a corner of the building was falling off,” said Ed Spitzbarth, who grew up locally and saw the depot’s deterioration o

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