Here is a photo that was sent to me by Linda Blackman from Harrisburg. She now owns the Stonefort depot and has some family photos dating back almost 100 years. Don't have dates on this picture, but as a result of her correspondence with the National Archives, we now know that it is prior to 1915. This is the same basic structure that exists today (we counted and compared the batten boards and window arrangement on the south facade of the building), but it was enlarged and expanded by the Big 4 in 1915, to include a bay window facing the tracks and a much larger freight house on the North end of the depot. - CAPT Rex Settlemoir Linda Blackman Collection.
For some reason, I cannot quite discern the siding type. Is it what I believe, board and batten style?
What a difference 100 years makes in apparel and transportation methods. It appears that everyone is dressed up for some function, maybe taken on a Sunday back then? Thanks for more history, Roger.
A "nobby" little depot. That's how a local newspaper described a new depot at Lena, Minnesota back in about the same time period. Lena was actually not much more than a milk stop for the railroad but they still built a little building for it. It was about half the size of this one. Railroad depots, of course, were a real big deal back then. They were actually a main social gathering place for many small towns. I believe people dressed up just to go to the train depot. Doug
And here is the second photo of he depot... I think that this is the best photo, considering its elevated perspective, looking Southward toward Cairo, with a short freight train standing on the main line. This photo has to be prior to the 1915 date when the Big Four enlarged and expanded the depot with a bay window and larger freight house on the North end of the building. Note Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn standing on the platform, which now appears to be paved, as compared to the wooden platform on one of the earlier photos. - CAPT Rex Settlemoir.
The guard rails on the main in the foreground imply a bridge just out the picture. I wonder if the photographer is standing atop the bridge, because the lens looks to be about the same height as the station roof ridge. I agree with the Capt., this is a more interesting photo.
In the interest of economic growth and civic pride, communities sometimes gathered to contribute property and funding to construct their depot. A number of stations on the Erie were established this way. I think too that station agents were often Postmasters, Western Union and Railway Express agents too, which surely brought even more people to the station for business. I can't begin to imagine the long hours Agents worked back then.
I would think the women were going to catch the next train. The men I don't know. In the first photo notice how tall the signal mast is . I would think it is a train order board. At that time in history time table and train order was what they used most. LEW
