Manahawkin Railroad Station (1872)

Manahawkin Railroad Station (1872). Stafford Township Historic Site. , The railroad Station came to Manahawkin as part of the post Civil War railroad boom. The Tuckerton Railroad (1871-1940) developed 28.9 miles of track between Whiting and Tuckerton providing a transportation corridor between Philadelphia and the Southern Ocean County shore area. From 1886 to 1935, a spur of the Pennsylvania Railroad provided access to Long Beach Island., Manahawkin has had two railroad stations. During the first winter, the original station was deemed unfit for winter operation. Therefore, stationmaster M.L. Peckworth operated from Sprague's General Store across the street. Between April and August of 1872, the station that still exists in Heritage Park was built on Stafford Avenue. The last stationmaster was Frank Southgate. All the rails and ties were removed by 1940, leaving little other evidence of the railroads that ran through the area at one time., After abandonment of the Tuckerton Railroad, a local businessman, Wayne "Zip" Paro used a car and log rollers to move the station building across the lot for use as his wood shop. The station was purchased in 1964 by the Flosters and moved to 755 East Bay Avenue for use as an antique shop. In 1990, the station was purchased by the Stafford Township Historical Society and moved to its present location in Heritage Park and restored. The Manahawkin Railroad Station now serves as a museum and information center for the Stafford Township Historical Society and the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce.