The Central Vermont Railway Depot is a former train station in the village of Northfield, Vermont

Northfield, Vermont

Northfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. It lies in a valley within the Green Mountains, and has been the home of Norwich University since 1866. The town contains the village of Northfield, where over half of its population lives. The population was 6,207 at the 2010...

. It has been on the List of Registered Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 since May 1, 1975, and is the oldest building in Vermont to have once served as a railway depot.

Situated on the West end of Northfield's Depot Square green, the Central Vermont Railway Depot was once part of a relatively large complex of buildings supported by the Central Vermont Railroad, including the Northfield Wood Company and common railyard

Classification yard

A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...

 buildings. Today, many of these buildings still stand; some have been converted into small offices by modern companies (such as TDS Telecom

Telephone and Data Systems

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based telecommunications service company providing wireless, telephone and broadband services to more than 7 million customers in 36 states through its business units TDS Telecom and U.S. Cellular , the sixth-largest wireless service provider in the U.S...

), others are used as storage by a local hardware and lumber store, while many remain vacant. In the 1970s, the decline of industry in New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 took its toll on the station, and it was forced to cease operation. After several years of increasing disrepair, the side wings were demolished. As of 2006, the two nearest rail stations still in operation are in Randolph

Randolph, Vermont

Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,853 at the 2000 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that surround it....

 to the South, and Montpelier

Montpelier, Vermont

Montpelier is a city in the U.S. state of Vermont that serves as the state capital and the shire town of Washington County. As the capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the site of the Vermont State House, seat of the legislative branch of Vermont government. The population was 7,855 at the 2010...

 to the North. Roxbury

Roxbury, Vermont

Roxbury is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States, created by Vermont charter on August 6, 1781. The population was 691 at the 2010 census, an increase of 20.0% over the 2000 census.-Geography:...

, a small village 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Northfield, had a rail station as well, which closed shortly after the Central Vermont Railway Depot.

The depot building is currently occupied by a Merchant's Bank location.

External links

• Site information from The National Park Service
  National Park Service
  The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...