For the massive steam locomotives that used to roll by the Amboy Depot, forward was the best way to go.

The chairman of the Amboy Depot Commission and a volunteer at the Depot Museum, Molly Haseman, is determined to keep the depot moving forward.

“For me, it’s the sense of seeing this place continue on and the hope that we continue moving it forward and keep it going into the future,” Haseman said.

She has volunteered with the Depot Museum and served on the Depot Museum Commission, the five-member committee that oversees operations at the 17-room railroad depot built in 1876.

For Haseman, whose ancestors came to Amboy with the railroad and worked on it, preserving the town’s history and educating others on it is more than a hobby.

“It is the reason this community is here. Until the railroad came, there were about 12 houses in this area, and then the Illinois Central Railroad decided to make this town its hub. Literally, this depot and the railroad are the reason that Amboy exists,” Haseman said.

Haseman chose to volunteer at the depot after retiring because of her family’s railroad and depot connections, as well as the same reasons she now encourages other residents to get involved.

“Once I retired, I started looking around for opportunities to volunteer. I wanted to stay local. I’ve always been intrigued by the Depot Museum, and they ran an ad saying they were looking for members for the Depot Commission,” Haseman said.

Haseman attended a commission meeting, held at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the museum.

“I decided I liked the idea of volunteering here. It was local and in my community. I knew my grandfather started working here, and my family came here because of the railroad. One thing led to another, and I joined as a volunteer. Before that, I had never really set foot in here,” she said.

As chairman of the Depot Commission, Haseman, along with the other board members and volunteers, performs a variety of duties.

“We oversee the day-to-day operations of the museum, we are responsible for hiring and supervising staff, scheduling and the open hours for the museum,” Haseman said.

Fundraising is one of the biggest tasks – and challenges – the commission faces. When it comes to preserving the building, Haseman said she feels a duty to the group of Amboy residents who saved the depot from demolition.

“It is only still here because a group of people from town got together and decided it was worth saving when there was practically nothing left of it. It was people like Norma Shapiro and others who saved it,” Haseman said.

The Depot Commission was started in 1976, when the Illinois Central Railroad announced plans to demolish the three-story depot, which had sat empty for decades. The commission eventually saved and restored the red brick and limestone building. In 1992, the Amboy Depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“I look around here, and I am absolutely in awe of what they did. It’s a miracle. It is astounding when you see what a group of people in a small community can accomplish when they put their minds to it,” she said.

She keeps that as her inspiration. Keeping the building in good repair is an ongoing and expensive challenge for Haseman and the Depot Commission.

“Right now, we have a ton of maintenance that needs to be done on the building, and that requires a massive amount of money. We need help with fundraising, and that is not anyone’s area of expertise right now,” she said.

Haseman said the need for volunteers is ongoing, as the commission works to update the museum and its collections and to introduce new generations to this important part of Amboy’s history.

“We are actively looking for volunteers, not just to be on the commission but to volunteer,” Haseman said.

In particular, Haseman hopes to attract volunteers with experience in museum studies, collections and curating collections.

“We’ve been talking about starting to rotate out some of the present exhibits and bring new ones in, so we would love to find some volunteers who have some background or experience with museum collections,” Haseman said.

Haseman has high praise for the current commission members and the work they do on behalf of the museum.

“They do so much. Sandy Draper is in charge of our memorial brick program. She takes care of the orders and contacting the company. Gina McCoy is very good at event planning, and she has taken on revamping and updating our gift shop. Kevin Chandler has been instrumental in fixing things; he is our fix-it guy,” Haseman said.

Last year, the Depot Museum hosted a new event called Spooky Night that featured tours of the museum and characters from the past. The museum also hosts tours during Amboy’s Christmas Walk and is the centerpiece of Amboy’s Depot Days citywide celebration in late August.

Haseman said she hopes to introduce new generations of visitors – and potential volunteers – to the Amboy Depot Museum.

“We are focusing on bringing people of all ages into the depot with events like these,” she said.

The effort is working. The depot has two paid, part-time workers for the busy summer season. This year, one of the part-time employees was introduced to the depot during the Christmas Walk.

“When she came in to interview, she told us she had been here for the Christmas Walk, so that was encouraging and such a big plus,” Haseman said.

She said she hopes that more residents will take advantage of the local volunteer opportunity.

“It’s a great opportunity to live in town and volunteer in town. You don’t have to drive anywhere, it’s right here in your own community, and you are helping preserve such an important part of Amboy’s history,” Haseman said.