Middletown station (Erie Railroad)

Middletown was the main station along the Erie Railroad mainline in the city of Middletown, New York. Located on Depot Street, the station was first opened in 1843 with the construction of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad, which had originally terminated at Goshen. The station was located along the New York Division, which stretched from Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, to the Sparrowbush station just north of Port Jervis.

Middletown
The Middletown station, seen trackside in 1971
General information
Location	11–19 Depot Street, Middletown, New York 10940
Coordinates	41°26′50″N 74°25′12″W
Owned by	Erie Railroad (1843–1960) Erie–Lackawanna Railroad (1960–1976) Conrail (1976–1983) Metro-North Railroad (1983)
Line(s)	Erie Railroad Main Line (New York Division) Middletown and Crawford Branch
Platforms	1 side platforms
Tracks	2 main line
Construction
Platform levels	1
Other information
Station code	2665[1]
History
Opened	May 26, 1843[2]
Closed	April 18, 1983[3]
Rebuilt	August 15–September 24, 1896[4][5]
Former services
Preceding station Erie Railroad Following station Howells toward Chicago Main Line Main Street, Middletown toward Jersey City Circleville toward Pine Bush Middletown and Crawford Branch Terminus
Location

The building was opened in 1896 to replace one that had been in use since 1843^[6][7] when the New York and Erie began service to the city.^[8] The Romanesque Revival building was designed by George E. Archer, Chief Architect of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad, later the Erie Railroad.^[9] The station saw service for trains going from Chicago to Erie's terminal in Jersey City, and later, as part of Erie Lackawanna Railway, service to Hoboken Terminal. The last long distance train along this route was the Atlantic Express and Pacific Express in 1965.^[10] The station also saw regular commuter service.

The building served as a railroad station until 1983,^[6] when rail service was taken over by MTA's Metro-North Railroad. Service on the route of Erie's original Main Line was discontinued in favor of the Graham Line, an Erie-built freight line now used by Norfolk Southern and the Port Jervis Line and was replaced by the Middletown Metro-North station.

The station depot was renovated and restored, becoming the Thrall Library in 1995.^[11]

See also

• List of Erie Railroad structures documented by the Historic American Engineering Record
• Middletown and New Jersey Railroad
• Orange Heritage Trailway

References

1. "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
2. "Now & Then Erie Railroad Station - Middletown". The Times Herald-Record. October 8, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
3. "New Port Jervis Service - April 18, 1983". New York, New York: Metro-North Railroad. April 18, 1983. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
4. "Laying the Foundation for New Erie Depot". The Argus. Middletown, New York. August 15, 1896. p. 5. Retrieved September 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "With All Masonic Rights". The Argus. Middletown, New York. September 24, 1896. p. 5. Retrieved September 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Patrick, Clifton (April 9, 2010). "Erie RR Station". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved May 5, 2013. 1st station used 1843-1896 This bldg, Romanesque style built 1896, George E. Archer, Architect. This RR station served passengers thru 1983
7. "Erie Depot, Middletown, NY". Hagley Digital Archives. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
8. "The Heritage Trail History". Orange Pathways. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
9. Francis, Dennis Steadman (1979), Architects in practice, New York City, 1840-1900 (1979), Committee for the Preservation of Architectural Records, retrieved May 25, 2013
10. 'Official Guide of the Railways,' June 1961, Table 3
11. Chumard, Barbara C. (1996). "Middletown Thrall Library A historical study of a small city public library". www.thrall.org. pp. 48–49. Retrieved May 5, 2013.

External links

• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NY-56, "Erie Railway, Middletown Station"
• Middletown Thrall Library
• (Photo) Erie Railroad
• (Photo) Theodore Roosevelt at Middletown when running for Governor in 1898. 1898 Erie Depot.
• (Photo) Erie Railroad Station viewed from James St., Middletown, NY. Circa 1900.