In the nineteenth century, railroads were the prime transportation link between small villages and the rest of the country. The first Columbiaville depot was built near this site in 1872. In 1893, William Peter (1824-1899), Columbiaville's dominant merchant and a millionaire lumber baron, replaced that structure with a small Romanesque inspired depot with rounded-arch, beveled-glass windows. He built the new depot to spur the village's development and assure the continued growth of his many businesses. By prior agreement, he gave the building to the Detroit-Bay City Railroad Company in exchange for having a line run through the community, and the property was deeded to the company for one dollar in 1893. It served as a train station until 1964 and now houses the Columbiaville Rotary Club and a public library.