Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo by Harry Thomas/Silver Monkey.net

In the past, bridge tenders were needed to run the electronics and machinery that raised and lowered bridges on major rivers, waterways and railroad bridges. The machinery was kept in a small house near or on the bridge and the bridge tender would spend most of their time in the house, or even lived there. Their jobs consisted of controlling and monitoring traffic around the bridges, keeping the bridge and the raising/lowering mechanism in good condition and running telegraph machines and other communications. Most bridge tender houses were usually built by government departments of transportation.

Delaware and Raritan Canal, New Jersey

What’s appealing about these buildings is that they are located in cities, in the country, and according to the photo on the bottom, in the middle of nowhere. Bridge tender houses have mostly gone by the wayside in the U.S., but a few are still being used to monitor waterway and railroad traffic while some have been converted into private homes or museums. The few that have been made into private homes, I’m sure get their fair share of people trying to look into their windows.

Indian Rocks Bridge, Florida

Treasure Island Causeway, Florida

Jordan Lift Bridge, Virginia

Delaware and Raritan Canal, New Jersey

Chicago Loop, Illinois

Long Island City, NY.

Courtney Campbell Causeway, Florida

Real Life Bridge tenders

State’s oldest swing drawbridge spans history

Former bridge tender kept watch over the original Cunningham bridge

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Church in Bitterroot Valley, MT

A few of these churches were built small because of a lack of construction funds, and some because of a lack of space or land. Whatever the reason, these tiny little treasures might really prove that God is in the details.

St. Jude's Chapel of Hope, NC. Courtesy of docjen27.

Chapel of the Holy Dove, AZ. Courtesy of Joe Orman.

Cross Island Chapel, NY. Courtesy of Flickr.

Tiny church in the Dolomites of northern Italy.

St. Peter's Catholic Church on the Big Island, Hawaii. Courtesy of HawaiiWeb.com.

Tiny Church on Sifnos Island, Greece.

Traveler's Chapel, Conway, SC. Courtesy of JacobK.

Wildwood Chapel, Marblemount, WA. Courtesy of Day4Plus.

Church in Minter Gardens, BC, Canada. Courtesy of Pat and Lee.

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)

I recently re-watched the movie, “The Station Agent”, and afterward began fantasizing of living in an old train depot. Finn (Peter Dinklage) is a man born with dwarfism who loves trains, and is willed an abandoned train depot by his elderly employer. I thought that a small, restored train depot would make a perfect tiny house, especially if you don’t mind the sound of trains.

Finn’s depot was filmed at the Newfoundland train station in Dover, New Jersey. I found a few other beautifully designed train depots in the area that have been converted into museums or historical markers.

The train depot used to be a visitor’s first view of a new town as the train they were on came chugging into the station. According to the Railroad Station Historical Society, railroad stations are designated locations along railroad lines to serve the handling of passengers, freight, and other commodities; as traffic control, maintenance, and/or communication centers.

Newfoundland Depot, New Jersey

Bonegap Depot, Illinois

Hoschton Depot, Georgia by ChapterHouseInc. and Waymarking.com

Often stations were marked by buildings including depots, towers, and maintenance facilities and almost always by a sign visible from the tracks. The word “station” is often used interchangeably with “depot”, but it refers to much more or less than a depot. The word “depot” is appropriate for a structure serving the public at a station.

We would love to hear of any train depots or other structures near you that would make a wonderful tiny house: a silo, an old train car (a la Maude from “Harold and Maude”), an old barn, a firestation or even a lighthouse.

Ashland Depot, New Hampshire by the Grafton County Historic and Genealogy Society

 Oberlin Depot, Ohio by Ohio Bikeways

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