Chatham in Barnstable County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Chatham Railroad Depot
A 2-6-0 coal fired steam locomotive coupled to a string of freight cars wait for departure at the Chatham Railroad Depot in 1932. The Chatham Railroad Company constructed seven miles of tracks as a branch line with stations in Chatham, South Chatham and Harwich with a wye connection to the Old Colony Railroad in Harwich during 1887. Its most prominent station was the Chatham Depot constructed in the railroad gothic style. The Chatham Railroad Company leased its track and stations to operating railroads, first to the Old Colony Railroad and then in 1893 to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The branch line was abandoned in 1937.
Trains operating on the branch line carried passengers, freight, mail and express shipments. During 1891, 22,000 passengers from local and distant points utilized its passenger trains. Commodities shipped out to Boston, New York and Chicago from the Chatham Railroad Yard included cranberries, fresh fish, shellfish, salted cod and artillery shell fuses manufactured by the Weld Manufacturing Co. Commodities shipped to Chatham included coal, lumber, hardware, grain, groceries, granite for shore protection, steel for the Naval Air Station, gasoline and lubricants, road asphalt and electrical material for wiring Chatham.
Following abandonment in 1937, The Chatham Depot was used as a WW II scrap drive storage facility and Sea Scout meeting hall prior to being donated to the Town of Chatham by Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Cox of Cleveland, Ohio. A proposal to restore the building and establish a railroad museum was approved at town meeting. The Chatham Railroad Museum, owned by the Town of Chatham, and operated by a group of volunteers was opened in 1960. The Museum contains a wide variety of American railroad artifacts and written materials. The building, located on its original site, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and remains as the only original station on Cape Cod.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars.
Location. 41° 41.129′ N, 69° 57.697′ W. Marker is in Chatham, Massachusetts, in Barnstable County. Marker is on Depot Road, 0.1 miles west of Old Harbor Road (Massachusetts Route 28), on the left when traveling east. The marker is located in front of the Chatham Railroad Museum, originally the Chatham Railroad Depot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 153 Depot Road, Chatham MA 02633, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Men Of Chatham (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chatham Civil War Monument (approx. ¼ mile away); In Memory of the Pioneers of Chatham (approx. 0.3 miles away); History of Chatham (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named History of Chatham (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Josiah Mayo House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Chatham Commercial Fishing (approx. half a mile away); Chatham's Fishing Fleet (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chatham.
Also see . . . The Chatham Railroad Museum website. (Submitted on November 1, 2020, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2020, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 139 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 1, 2020, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.