Roxbury Railroad Station
Encyclopedia
Roxbury Station, also known as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot, is located at MilePost 59.1 on the Ulster and Delaware Railroad
/ West Shore "Catskill Mountain Branch" in the hamlet of Roxbury, New York
. The station is a contributing property
to the Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot and Mill Complex
, a historic district
on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The NYK&S RR itself only lasted until 1875, at which time is was reorganized into the Ulster & Delaware Railroad.
The station as originally built consisted of a single rectangular structure, with an internal dividing wall separating passenger and freight rooms.
It was substantially altered sometime between 1888 and 1891 by the U&D. Some believe Helen Gould Shepherd (railroad tycoon Jay Gould
's daughter) designed and/or financed the renovation.
Local history has it, she wanted a more elaborate waiting room for her friends and family, so an addition was constructed on the north side of the building. The addition consisted of two rooms: the tickets agents office (facing the tracks through a bay window) also containing a telegrapher's office, and the main waiting room.
Also of particular note, is that this station was equipped with what is believed to be the first indoor flush toilet in Delaware County
, and central heating, with a common coal fired furnace in the basement with duct work and registers to transport hot air to the Ticket Agent's Office & Waiting Room upstairs. This "modern convenience" eliminated the ever popular "potbelly" stove ever so present and common in railroad stations across the country.
Another addition to the station at this time was a portico
, or colonnade (open air roofed area similar to a pole barn) attached to the north side. Most U&D RR stations did not have this feature.
Roxbury, although not as busy as Halcottville, did have several business located there, including a retail coal dealer, feed and grain supplier, and a paint factory as well as several local creameries.
Although passenger service ended in 1954, the station agent stayed on until 1957. After that date, it was subsequently used in two commercial ventures, first by a feed & grain dealer from 1959-1976 (when freight service ended this same year); and then by a body shop owner, in the mid-1990s. Although the entire station was covered with metal siding by the feed supplier, little was changed on the inside, making it one of the best preserved U&D stations.
The structure itself, is in remarkably good shape (being protected by the sheet metal curtain wall); and the station is being restored by the Ulster and Delaware Railroad Historical Society, which other than the Roxbury Station restoration, has undertaken the restoration of a 1920 H. K. Porter, Inc
Steam Locomotive; former BEDT 14; and a 1906 New York, Ontario & Western 4 wheel "Bobber" Caboose #8206].
Ulster and Delaware Railroad
The Ulster and Delaware Railroad Company was a Class I railroad located in New York State, headquartered in Rondout and founded in 1866. It was often advertised as "The Only All-Rail Route To the Catskill Mountains." At its greatest extent, the U&D ran from Kingston Point, on the Hudson River,...
/ West Shore "Catskill Mountain Branch" in the hamlet of Roxbury, New York
Roxbury, New York
Roxbury is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 2,509 at the 2000 census.The Town of Roxbury is at the eastern end of the county.- History :...
. The station is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot and Mill Complex
Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot and Mill Complex
Ulster and Delaware Railroad Depot and Mill Complex is a historic railroad depot and national historic district located at Roxbury in Delaware County, New York. The district contains five contributing buildings and one contributing structure...
, a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
on the National Register of 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...
.
History
This depot was originally constructed by the Rondout & Oswego Railroad with construction completed in January 1872. The R&O would be reorganized into the New York, Kingston and Syracuse railroad only three months later, in April 1872.The NYK&S RR itself only lasted until 1875, at which time is was reorganized into the Ulster & Delaware Railroad.
The station as originally built consisted of a single rectangular structure, with an internal dividing wall separating passenger and freight rooms.
It was substantially altered sometime between 1888 and 1891 by the U&D. Some believe Helen Gould Shepherd (railroad tycoon Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
's daughter) designed and/or financed the renovation.
Local history has it, she wanted a more elaborate waiting room for her friends and family, so an addition was constructed on the north side of the building. The addition consisted of two rooms: the tickets agents office (facing the tracks through a bay window) also containing a telegrapher's office, and the main waiting room.
Also of particular note, is that this station was equipped with what is believed to be the first indoor flush toilet in Delaware County
Delaware County, New York
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
, and central heating, with a common coal fired furnace in the basement with duct work and registers to transport hot air to the Ticket Agent's Office & Waiting Room upstairs. This "modern convenience" eliminated the ever popular "potbelly" stove ever so present and common in railroad stations across the country.
Another addition to the station at this time was a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
, or colonnade (open air roofed area similar to a pole barn) attached to the north side. Most U&D RR stations did not have this feature.
Roxbury, although not as busy as Halcottville, did have several business located there, including a retail coal dealer, feed and grain supplier, and a paint factory as well as several local creameries.
Although passenger service ended in 1954, the station agent stayed on until 1957. After that date, it was subsequently used in two commercial ventures, first by a feed & grain dealer from 1959-1976 (when freight service ended this same year); and then by a body shop owner, in the mid-1990s. Although the entire station was covered with metal siding by the feed supplier, little was changed on the inside, making it one of the best preserved U&D stations.
Roxbury Depot Museum
Today the Roxbury Station proudly houses a multitude of interpretive display kiosks showing local history and interaction with local businesses, as well as maps and diagrams illustrating the history of the U&D RR, and scale dioramas of the station in various eras.The structure itself, is in remarkably good shape (being protected by the sheet metal curtain wall); and the station is being restored by the Ulster and Delaware Railroad Historical Society, which other than the Roxbury Station restoration, has undertaken the restoration of a 1920 H. K. Porter, Inc
H. K. Porter, Inc
H. K. Porter, Inc. manufactured light-duty railroad locomotives in the USA, starting in 1866. The company became the largest producer of industrial locomotives, and built almost eight thousand of them...
Steam Locomotive; former BEDT 14; and a 1906 New York, Ontario & Western 4 wheel "Bobber" Caboose #8206].
External links
- Roxbury, NY: Ulster and Delaware Rail Depot, with photos
- Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
- Delaware, Ulster & Greene County RR Memorabilia
- East River Terminal / Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal - History of Operations 1875 - 1983
- Delaware & Ulster Railroad
- Online Guide to the Catskill Mountains
- The Catskill Archive - history of the Catskill Mtns.