North Bennington station

North Bennington station is a historic railroad station at Depot Street and Buckley Road in North Bennington, Vermont. Built in 1880 as a passenger station, this Second Empire brick building is a surviving reminder of North Bennington's former importance as a major railroad hub in southwestern Vermont. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as North Bennington Depot.[1]

North Bennington
North Bennington station in June 1988
General information
LocationDepot Street and Buckley Road
North Bennington, Vermont
History
Closed1953
Rebuilt1880
Former services
Preceding station Rutland Railroad Following station
South Shaftsbury
toward Rouses Point
 Rouses Point–​North Bennington Terminus
Arlington
toward Montreal
 Green Mountain Flyer / Mount Royal Troy
toward New York or Boston
Terminus Bennington–​North Bennington Bennington
Terminus
North Bennington Depot
Coordinates42°55′56″N 73°14′32″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1880 (1880)
Architectural styleSecond Empire, Mansard
Part ofNorth Bennington Historic District (ID80000328)
NRHP reference No.73000189[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 11, 1973
Designated CPAugust 29, 1980

History

The Bennington and Rutland Railroad opened between its namesake cities in 1853. A branch from North Bennington to White Creek on the New York border opened at the same time. It connected to the Troy and Boston Railroad at White Creek, connecting the railroad to New York.[2] The short branch was operated by the Troy and Boston and its descendants, the Fitchburg Railroad and later the Boston and Maine Railroad, with interchange made at North Bennington.[3] The Bennington and Rutland was merged into the Rutland Railroad in 1867. The Lebanon Springs Railroad was built in 1869 south from Bennington to Chatham, New York, where it connected with the Boston and Albany Railroad and the New York and Harlem Railroad. This put North Bennington at the junction of two through routes. The line was acquired by the Rutland in 1899.[2]

A new station building was constructed in 1880. The depot is a two-story brick structure, with a mansard roof and a foundation of cut marble. The roof has a cornice studded with brackets, and is composed of multicolored slate. Its mansard section is lined with gabled dormers housing round-arch windows, and there is a mansarded tower rising near the center of the street-facing facade. The ground floor exterior of the building is sheltered by flared canopies supported by large carved knee brackets. The interior is functionally divided into two waiting areas, with an octagonal ticket office between them on the track side. A small single-storage luggage area extends from one end of the building.[4]

Passenger service between North Bennington and Bennington ended in the early 1930s, with buses operating over that segment; passenger service south of Bennington ended not long after.[5] The line was abandoned south of Bennington in 1953. Passenger service to North Bennington by the Green Mountain Flyer and Mount Royal lasted until 1953. The railroad attempted to abandon its entire system in 1961; most lines, including the mainline through North Bennington and the short branch to Bennington, resumed freight service in 1964 under the Vermont Railway.[2]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Lindsell, Robert M. (2000). The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 39–46. ISBN 0942147065.
  3. Time Table No. 119 FOR EMPLOYEES ONLY (PDF). Rutland Railroad. September 25, 1949. p. 23.
  4. "NRHP nomination for North Bennington Depot". National Park Service. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  5. Rutland (PDF). Rutland Railroad. September 29, 1935. pp. 6, 7, 12, 13.
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