For 10 years, Pella served as the only rail stop in Marion County until a competing station was built in Knoxville, Iowa by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad.

[2] The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad leased the Des Moines Valley's tracks beginning in 1878 and provided freight service through 1980.

[4] In 1975 the future of the depot was thrown into question when the Rock Island Line filed for bankruptcy protection.

However, the Pella Corporation, whose headquarters are adjacent, acquired the property and converted the depot into a company museum.

This article about a property in Marion County, Iowa on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.