Tamaqua station

The Tamaqua station is a disused railway station that is located in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Tamaqua Historic District.[1]

Tamaqua
Former Reading Railroad station
Tamaqua station in July 2010
General information
Location18 N. Railroad St.,
Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates40.7980°N 75.9701°W / 40.7980; -75.9701
Construction
Architectural styleItalianate
History
Opened1874
Closed1961
Rebuilt1880, 1885
Former services
Preceding station Reading Railroad Following station
Newkirk
toward Pottsville
 Schuylkill Valley Branch Terminus
Reading Railroad Passenger Station—Tamaqua
NRHP reference No.85003164[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 26, 1985

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 26, 1985, as the Reading Railroad Passenger Station-Tamaqua.

History and architectural features

This station was originally built by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in 1874, which had earlier acquired the Little Schuylkill Navigation Railroad and Coal Company.[2] It is a one-story brick building that was designed in the Italianate style.

An addition was made to the original 1874 building in 1880, giving it a "T-plan." In 1885, a freight house was added.[3]

The station ceased train operations in 1961 and was formally abandoned in 1981.[4]

In 1984, a local family offered to purchase the railroad station and proposed that the building would be turned into a museum, similar to Steamtown, U.S.A. in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[5]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 26, 1985, as the Reading Railroad Passenger Station--Tamaqua.

RBMN 2014, an EMD GP38-2, stopping with an excursion train at the station on June 18, 2023. The platform extension was built in 2020 to serve excursion trains stopping at the station.

Following a $1.5 million restoration, the building was reopened in 2004 as a heritage center.[6]

In 2023, the station was featured on a USPS Forever stamp in a 5-stamp "Railroad Stations" series. The stamp illustrations were made by Down the Street Designs, and Derry Noyes served as the art director.[7]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Tamaqua Railroad Station - Historical Chronology
  3. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Michael Havrischak (August 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Reading Railroad: Passenger Station (Tamaqua)" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  4. Adams, Charles J. (2004). Coal Country Ghosts, Legends and Lore. Exeter House Books. ISBN 1-880683-20-2.
  5. "RAIL STATION MAY BECOME A MUSEUM". Philadelphia Inquirer. October 11, 1984. p. B25 Local. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  6. "History". Tamaqua Railroad Station. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  7. "U.S. Postal Service Reveals Stamps for 2023". United States Postal Service. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
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