Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex
From Archiplanet
| Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex | |
| Location | Schoharie, New York, USA |
| Date | ~1875 |
| Street Address | Depot Lane |
| Notes |
Contents |
[edit] Images
 Schoharie, NY |
 Schoharie, NY |
 Schoharie, NY |
 Schoharie, NY |
 Schoharie, NY |
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 Interior, Schoharie, NY |
 North Side,Schoharie, NY |
 & Station, North Side, Schoharie, NY |
 North Side, Schoharie, NY |
[edit] Discussion
| National Register of Historic Places | |
| Name | Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex |
| ID Number | 72000914 |
| NRHP Status | Listed In The National Register |
| Certification Date | 04/26/1972 |
| Level of Significance | Local |
| NRHP Documents | Text (pdf) ; Photos (pdf) |
The Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Portions of the text below were selected, transcribed, and/or adapted from a copy of the original nomination document which was written in March of 1972.
Description:
The Schoharie Valley railroad was one of two small rural rail lines which served as links with the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad, an important route between Albany and Binghamton. Today, the major remains of this system, which operated from Civil War days until the early twentieth century, is the complex of buildings at the end of Depot Lane in the Village of Schoharie.
Nestled deep in the Schoharie Valley, the railroad served a region which was, until its first run in 1867, landlocked by both the surrounding mountains and the lack of navigable waters.
It existed at a time when Schoharie was a bustling county seat. Long-noted for its historic resources and scenic beauty, the valley was an attractive area to tourists during the nineteenth century. It was likewise important for the growing of hops, and was recognized for carrying on trade in such products as grains, apples and milk. Prosperity, then, came from both agricultural endeavors and the tourist trade. Schoharie had three large hotels and a number of small enterprises. The rail road was able to serve all of these interests.
The buildings which relate to the Schoharie Valley Railroad will be used by the Village of Schoharie to tell the story of the growth of the railroad and its impact on the development of the area.
All structures were erected about 1875 and have remained in good condition to the present. The two-story brick building with a pronounced overhang in its slate roof served as a passenger station.
The ninety-foot shed to the west of the passenger building is the freight/locomotive house. Wood-framed, with sturdy oak plank flooring and beams, the locomotive house retains such features as a slate roof, remnants of its loading platform, smoke funnel and engine storage area.
The former office is wood framed, with a wood shingle roof. It has a main room with another room adjoining. There is a weighing scale for freight on the west side of the building.
The old mill building, with several later additions, is three stories, beamed and brick lined, has a metal roof, tin siding, a partial cellar and oak plank flooring. The original part of this building was a mill and is older than any other building in the complex.
Also parts of the present railroad complex are another building, which serves as a storage facility, and four coal silos.
Together, this cluster of structures functioned for 76 years carrying both crops and passengers in and out of the Schoharie Valley, contributing to the prosperity of an already thriving area.
Significance:
The complex of buildings at the end of Depot Lane in the Village of Schoharie serves as a reminder of the time when the prosperity of the surrounding valley was dependent upon the railroad. It was a means of transporting people and crops (hops, milk, apples and grain) out of the valley and bringing supplies, tourists and hop pickers into it. Preserved for future use by the Village of Schoharie, the railroad complex will function as a tangible link to a period of prime significance in the valley's history.
The Schoharie Valley Railroad was designed as a link to the main Albany and Susquehanna route. On May 30th, 1853 the contract was let to build the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad to run from Albany through Schoharie County to Binghamton. The construction of feeder lines to this route, the Schoharie Valley Railroad, and the slightly later Middleburgh and Schoharie, meant a direct connection for the valley to markets in Albany and Binghamton.
Prior to the building of the Albany and Susquehanna, a farmers’ round trip to the Albany market (from the Central Bridge area north of Schoharie with a load of produce, such as grain or apples was a three day's journey. The opening of the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad, and later the two rural railroads, provided a more efficient means of transporting croups.
The Schoharie Valley Railroad, which traveled from Schoharie Depot to Schoharie Junction, a distance of only 4.3 miles, was a necessity for both the town as well as the village of Schoharie. However, its expense was too large for the farmers and merchants, so municipal and private enterprise combined to build the new railroad.
In 1865, to finance the railroad, sixty-two people of Schoharie took $50,000 in stock, an amount matched equally by the town. A precedent had already been set for municipal aid. In 1864, the town of Schoharie, along with six other towns in Schoharie County, raised money to support the Albany and Susquehanna. Prior to the passage of the municipal bonding law in 1869, it was necessary for the town to apply to the legislature for permission to assist in the financing of a railroad. Permission was granted and construction began. Early in 1867, the Schoharie Valley Railroad began to make regular trips.
The gauge of the railroad was at first six feet to match that of the Albany and Susquehanna. In August of 1873 it was reduced to four feet, eight inches, which was the measurement adopted as a standard gauge for railroads.
In 1869, an agreement between the Middleburgh and Schoharie and the Schoharie Valle Railroad resulted in the consolidation of the rolling stock of both lines.
In 1874 the railroad ran into financial difficulty. The Schoharie Valley Railroad was sold a public auction on April 4, 1874 to Jacob Vroman, later its President, to $25,000. In 1882 Vroman turned the line over to his six sons. Each year they met and supposedly leased it to the brother who made the best offer.
The first passenger coach was purchased in 1891. Hop pickers as well as tourists were able to travel easily to and from the Valley, further contributing to the development of the area.
By 1942, the Schoharie Valley Railroad no longer had enough traffic to justify continued operation. Application was filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the 76-year-old, four-mile rural line, and on September 16, 1942 its operations ceased.
The Railroad was instrumental in opening previously land-locked Schoharie Valley. It provided, from Civil War days until 1942, a fast and efficient method of transporting crops and tourist to and from this scenic historic region and this stimulated economic and social development.
[edit] Maps
[edit] References
- Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex Text on Register of Historic Places Nomination Forms
- Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex Photos on Register of Historic Places Nomination Forms
[edit] External Links
- Schoharie Junction, NY on the Historic Marker Database.
