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New Jersey Herald - October 5, 1989 issue

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Branchville Man Moving Rail Depot

By Helen Evans

Herald Staff Writer

Branchville -- The owner of the Roy Co. feed store on Broad Street is preparing to move the old Branchville railroad station to his property soon, Mayor Gerald Van Gorden said Wednesday night.

"He is moving the station within the next couple of weeks," said Van Gorden, "and will use it for storage and eventually restore it."

Richard Roy will move the station to the back of his property on land that was the old tie yard for the Erie Lackawanna Railroad.

The station was built in the 1860's or 1870's {1869} when the railroad came to town. The building has not been used since the railroad closed the Branchville line in 1966.

"It's one of the oldest stations in New Jersey that's restorable," Roy has said. Roy was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

The borough bought the station in 1979 and considered restoring it, but decided that renovating it was too costly. Roy, a lifelong resident of the borough, bought the building about four years ago for $1.

The station's outhouse has already been moved, Van Gorden said.

Branchville hose C. No. 1 plans to build a firehouse on the railroad property next year.

This will not be the first time that the building has been moved. In the 1930's, when the Borden Creamery came to town, the station was relocated across the tracks to its current location.