Connecting People With Communities

Connecting People With Communities. The Voorheesville Train Station. , Fields of Indian Corn and Potatoes , The surrounding landscape was very different on September 15, 1863, when the first Albany and Susquehanna train rolled through from Albany to Central Bridge. Passengers saw only farm fields of Indian corn and potatoes. New Scotland farmers in New Salem, Unionville, and Clarksville quickly realized that the new railroad would provide a means to ship their crops to the City of Albany., Another Railroad Comes to Town In 1865, the West Shore Railroad opened a second rail line from Albany to Schenectady which is still active today. A new passenger station was built in 1890, with its cost shared by both railroads. The station was known as Union Depot, as it was located at the crossing of the two rail lines. Soon, this stop became a vibrant and thriving agricultural and industrial hamlet., The Village Named for a Commuter , Alonzo B. Voorhees was a prominent lawyer who practiced and resided most of his life in the City of Albany. After the railroad opened, Mr. Voorhees built a home a short distance from here. During the short time that he resided here, he maintained his law practice in Albany and regularly commuted by train., According to generally-accepted accounts, Mr. Voorhees wrote "Voorheesville” on an application as the name of the first post office in this hamlet in 1867. The name continued to be used and became official when the Village was incorporated in 1899., (lower left photo:) A D&H locomotive approaches the Union Depot near the crossing of the D&H and West Shore Railroad tracks., (map caption:) A map of Voorheesville in 1893. The train station, built in 1890, is shown at the crossing of the DSH and West Shore Railroads. , (lower right photo:) The Grove Hotel was located across the tracks from the station near the present day pavilion.