Ulster and Delaware Rail Depot, Roxbury NY
Ulster & Delaware predecessor Rondout & Oswego began building out of Rondout (the port city below Kingston) in 1869, promoted chiefly by steamboat proprietor Thomas Cornell, who sought to build additional traffic sources for his steam towboat service on the Hudson River. Cornell withdrew from active participation in the R&O after disputes with fellow-promoters and with the towns along the route that had bonded themselves to pay for construction. At this time, in 1871, construction of the railroad had halted south of Roxbury.Without Cornell, the enterprise soon fell into insolvency, and was reorganized May 9, 1872 as the New York, Kingston & Syracuse. With cash in hand, the new company resumed construction and on August 8, 1872, passenger trains reached Roxbury and Moresville. Roxbury depot was constructed during that summer in time for the opening of service.
That 1872 depot is only part of the present structure, comprising the freight room. During the early 1890’s, the U&D embarked on improvements to the early depots constructed during the Rondout & Oswego and New York, Kingston & Syracuse eras. The Ulster & Delaware corporate records are silent on specific improvements at Roxbury in the 1890’s. Indeed, the 1894 inspection report of the New York Board of Railroad Commissioners states that a new station had been built at Roxbury since the Board’s last inspection in 1890. What the Commission did not know was that the Coykendall family, directors and managers of the U&D, solicited local funding to expand small depots.Roxbury and an identical depot at Shokan in Ulster County received the grand treatment. A waiting room and substantial office for the agent and telegrapher was added along with indoor plumbing and stained-glass windows. Where did the money come from? It’s quite reasonable to assume that the hand of Helen Gould Shepherd reached out to fund depot improvements.
Few changes were made to the physical structure between the turn of the century and the 1950’s. The station agent remained on duty at Roxbury under New York Central management until 1957, surviving the demise of passenger train service in 1954. In 1959, Dick Lutz took over the building for his feed business as freight trains lingered on through the subsequent management of the Penn Central (1968-1976). With the advent of Conrail in 1976, the entire Catskill Mountain line became surplus and the limited service to Lutz Feed ended in the fall of 1976. After Lutz moved his business to the nearest railhead at Oneonta, Ken Etts purchased the building and erected auto bays at the north end for use by Macker Auto Body, preserving the historic structure within the shop’s metal wrapper.
The Ulster & Delaware Historic Assets Conservancy Trust purchased the depot in 2000 and leased it to the Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society. For a slideshow of historic photos of the depot click here to go to the U&D Historical Society website.
Related Articles
