The Houston & Texas Central Railroad came through this area in 1872, when no town yet existed here, and the railroad sparked the creation of Anna, whose population had grown to 20 people by 1883. The depot was built in 1885 at 70 feet in length and was shortened to 30 feet in 1937. For many years, abundant Johnson grass and bales of cotton passed through the depot. It closed in the late 1950's and remained at its original location on the other side of the railroad tracks 200 feet west of this site. In the early 1960's, when the railroad planned to tear it down, a local businessman acquired it, moved it to his farm 2 miles west of town, and used it to store hay. After a developer purchased the farm in the late 1990's and the depot was in jeopardy of destruction, the Anna Area Historical Preservation Society was founded on February 12, 2004, to rescue, relocate, and restore it. The depot was donated to AAHPS in 2007 and moved to a temporary location west of downtown near the Powell Gin. In November 2017, the Anna City Council designated Sherley Heritage Park as the depot's permanent home, and it was moved here on May 8, 2018.