Station History

The Putnam Railroad began business as the New York and Boston Railroad on May 21, 1869.  Its goal was to link Westchester and Putnam counties with railroad lines serving upstate New York and New England into Canada. Yorktown Heights was a main stop on the ‘Old Put’ line.  In fact, in the 1880's the railroad station was the center of town, surrounded by five stores, a school, a hotel, two locksmiths, a wheelwright and two churches. The station was last used by passengers in 1958.   When the rail line closed, the Town of Yorktown eventually came into ownership of the station and the surrounding property.  The property became a park, and the town succeeded in getting the station house listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Through the years, the Yorktown Historical Society has struggled to maintain the building through volunteer work and private funding.  The building today is closed due to interior fire damage, but remains structurally sound.  Most of the interior finishes that were replaced are not original, but the work reflects the community’s commitment to preventing the building from falling into disrepair, even though resources were not available at the time to maintain historical accuracy.  The exterior is in fairly good shape and weathertight.  The building was a typical architectural design on this line, being reproduced at many of the stops along the railroad.  This station house is the only surviving example left close to its original state and is the only nationally designated landmark building in the Town of Yorktown.

Click on the photos to the left to view larger images with captions.

View the images as a slideshow.

View the current interior of the station.