my house is a train depot

[Anonymous]

Hi.  I m hoping to get some info on my house which was an 1882 rr depot that was moved from mcafee nj to warwick ny many yrs ago.  I m trying to find out how to get info on the date and way that the depot was moved. can anyone send me in the right direction? i have sent a few emails to different railfan addresses and to sussex co nj historian sites, but havent gotten any info so far. thanx for any help u can be!

[IRONROOSTER]

If you can identify the railroad then you can search the web for that railroad.  Many of the sites list what happened to the equipment and buildings. Also, many railroads (even small ones) have had one or more histories written on them and these frequently tell what happened to the buildings.

Also many railroads have historical societies that may be able to help.  Remember that these are  done as a hobby, so response may be slow.

Good Luck

Paul 

[tim o'm]

According to Mike Walker's Northeast USA Railroad Atlas of North America, McAffee, NJ is on the joint New York Susquehanna & Western/Lehigh & Hudson River Railroad, which is still used by NYS&W. I wouls say that if you checked with the NYS&W Technical & Historical Society, someone in that group would have the answer. Their web site is www.877trainraide.com. Carsten's Publishing sells a nice book on the Susquehanna, but I don't know which stations are featured.

If you can find the date that the train station was moved, the railroad magazines of the time, and some local newspapers could lend some more background.

Good luck in your search.

[Trainmaster.Curt]

Wow, your house is an old train depot! How cool, i wish i could live in an old station or somethin. Nice, is the lighting kerosene too, lol

[Anonymous]

patropo:

Your local weekly or daily newspaper might have information on the depot move, it might not. What's more likely is that the newspaper of the day covered the depot move and the information is in an article stored on microfilm at you local public library or local historical society. 

Try both the library and the historical societies for where you live and where the depot originated.

Also, don't be afraid to dig deeper yourself. Check your local county property records. They will give you an exact year, if not exact date, when the depot was moved. The government wants to tax it and would have been aware of such things. The property records will also give you prior ownership history and that will almost certainly identify the railroad or railroad holding company that owned your home. You can dive off from there.

It would also be interesting for you to investigate your depot home itself. Look at the nails used, the timbers, window latches and door knobs. Everything is a clue about your home's past.  And each tells a piece of the story.

Best, 

IGNATIUS