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Re: (rshsdepot) Hopewell Depot Restoration Newsletter
The photo is at
http://www.railfan.net/lists/mplist.cgi?rshsdepot-photo
The header was a bit strange as it wasn't addressed directly To: the list so
the photo extractor didn't pick up the list name. I moved the photo into place
by hand.
Henry
On Sat, 16 Mar 2002, Bernard Rudberg wrote:
> NOTE: This message had contained at least one image attachment.
> To view or download the image(s), click on or cut and paste the following URL into your web browser and click/select the index or matching subject link.
>
> http://www.railfan.net/lists/mplist.cgi?-photo
>
> DpNws032.jpg (application/octet-stream, 25129 bytes)
>
> The attachment is a photo of Hopewell Depot c. 1905
> Depot in it's original location.
> Photo from the collection of the
> East Fishkill Historical Society.
>
> HOPEWELL DEPOT RESTORATION
> Next Meeting Wed, Apr. 3
> 7:30 PM at the East Fishkill
> Community Center
> The Community Center is located off Rte. 82 in the center of
> Hopewell Junction between the RR overpass and the Rte.376
> traffic light across from McHoul's funeral home.
> The main subject of the meeting:
> Possible acquisition of land near the depot
>
> Your depot Restoration board members urge you to
> come to the meeting and we will explain the details
> and open the floor for discussion.
> This meeting will also be our annual election of officers. Jerry
> Carey is still filling both the VP slot and the treasurer job. Can
> you help out
> *********************************************
> Opportunity to Acquire Land
>
> One of the central questions surrounding the Hopewell Depot has
> been: Can it be restored in the current location or will we have to
> move it? A move would cost money and effort, and could have
> an adverse affect on future historic status and possible grant
> applications. We would like to keep it where it is but there is not
> much room and the land under it belongs to Dutchess County.
> In addition there have been several proposals for development in
> the area of the depot, including road improvements and a large
> housing development planned for the area spanning the former
> rail line between Fishkill Road and Route 376.
>
> Now we have an opportunity to acquire land near the depot for
> parking etc. We have had an offer on a parcel of land which
> would serve very well. It could also serve as a parking area for
> the planned Dutchess County Rail Trail.
>
> Ownership of land would have a positive affect on future fund
> raising and grant applications. The board has been in discussions
> concerning our options, which will be explained at the meeting .
> We need the support of all the members to take advantage of this
> offer.
> ****************************************************
> Depot Restoration Questions
>
> What is the location of the proposed road improvements ?
> Will it impact the depot location ?
> Will it cross land owned by Dutchess County and/or
> Metro North ?
> Engineering studies ?
> Is anybody working on plans ?
> Time frame ?
> ****************************************************
> Our depot restoration effort has come to a major decision point.
> Our organization by-laws require a membership majority vote for
> approval of any real estate transactions. We need the support of
> every member in choosing the best action plan.
>
> Whatever course we choose will require long term involvement
> and hard work to accomplish our goal. Many towns across the
> country have recognized the significance of their railroad past and
> are restoring their railroad stations.
> Hopewell Junction is rich in railroad history but much of it is
> in danger of being lost forever. We must preserve as much
> as possible for future generations.
> Come to the meeting and bring your friends along too.
>
> ****************************************************
> New Book Coming in October
> Your newsletter editor has been working on a book for the past
> four years. It will be a history of the railroads that built the tracks
> through Hopewell Junction and Dutchess County. Our depot was
> built by the Dutchess & Columbia Railroad in 1873. The
> following year, the railroad went bankrupt but it was reformed
> into the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut Railroad in 1877.
> This included the Clove Branch Railroad which served the iron
> ore mine at Sylvan Lake and the iron furnace in Clove Valley.
> The new book will be a close-up look at these railroads and the
> people who ran them.
> A few years ago the headquarters building of the railroad in
> Beacon was being renovated. Workers found the record books
> and donated them to the Beacon Historical Society. These books
> are a detailed record of railroad activities from 1879 to 1904.
> They are a window into every day life on the railroads in the
> 1800s.
>
> The new book is being published by Purple Mountain Press in
> Fleischmanns NY and the finished version should be available
> about October of this year. I will keep you posted about
> progress. I will also bring a copy of the manuscript to the April
> 3rd meeting for anybody who wants a preview.
>
> ****************************************************
> Hopewell's Lost Rail Line
> A rail line into Hopewell Junction was abandoned in the 1890s
> and was lost to history. In the early 1890s the Dutchess County
> Railroad was building the line from Poughkeepsie to Hopewell
> Junction. This line later became the well known Maybrook line
> which today is the Dutchess County utility corridor. Materials to
> construct the line were shipped to Hopewell Junction on
> Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut Railroad trains. In 1891 the
> Hopewell rail yard and sidings were clogged with carloads of
> steel rails and wooden ties. The ND&C RR needed the yard and
> sidings for other business so they sent an ultimatum to the DC
> RR. The DC RR was forced to build a temporary rail line just to
> handle the construction materials.
>
> When the Maybrook line construction into Hopewell Junction
> was completed in the spring of 1892, the temporary line was
> removed and the property sold. For more than 100 year the
> location of that temporary line was lost to history.
> In recent years several people have searched for clues but the old
> roadbed was not found. With the discovery of the ND&C RR
> record books a few years ago, there were more clues. Your
> newsletter editor renewed the search and found the abandoned
> line.
>
> In the search I used US Geological Survey maps, aerial
> photographs from 1935 to 1995, antique railroad blueprints of the
> Maybrook line and a hand-held Global Positioning Satellite
> receiver. The GPS receiver can determine your location and
> altitude anywhere on the surface of the earth with an accuracy of
> plus or minus 50 feet. After a number of hikes through the
> woods and trails around Lake Walton, I found the old roadbed..
>
> If you have driven along Fishkill Road parallel to the Beacon rail
> line you may have noticed a hump just west of Terra Nova Drive.
> The construction line connected with the tracks which go to
> Fishkill and Beacon then crossed Fishkill Road at that hump. It
> ran behind the houses on the west side of Terra Nova Drive then
> northward through a swampy area. Farther north, it passed
> through the backyards of houses on Vicki Lane and connected
> with the Maybrook line about 300 yards from Lake Walton.
>
> I also took along my metal detector to look for any left over
> railroad parts. So far I have not found any rails or spikes but there
> is ample evidence of the barbed wire fencing along the sides. So
> the mystery of the lost rail line has been solved and another bit of
> Hopewell history has been preserved. This story will be part of a
> chapter on the Dutchess County Railroad in my upcoming
> book, 25 Years on the ND&C RR.
>
> ***************************************************
> Sharing History
> Do you know of any photos of Hopewell History ? If you have
> or know someone who has photos to share with the members,
> send a note or call me, Bernie Rudberg, at 221-9330.. I have
> facilities to scan and print photos without any damage to the
> originals. I can also do minor repairs of cracks or marks on the
> scanned prints. If you have photos let me know and I will pick
> them up and return them after scanning. We would love to see
> any old pictures you might have hidden away in a family album.
>
> ****************************************************
> Do You Have E-Mail ?
> With the expansion of our mailing list, the cost of each
> newsletter has gone up. Currently each newsletter mailing costs
> about $50. We feel that this money could be put to better use on
> the depot. Therefore we will be distributing an E-Mail version of
> the newsletter which costs essentially $0 to send out. In
> addition, an E-Mail version will reach the members sooner than a
> standard post mailing. Our E-Mail list now contains over 75
> names while the snail mail list still has about 90 names. Future
> newsletters will be sent via E-Mail whenever possible.
>
> If you would like to get your newsletter via E-Mail you can
> write a short note to the editor:
> Bernard Rudberg
> 7 Marion Ave.
> Wappingers Falls, NY
> 12590-6017
> Or better yet, you can reply via E-Mail to
>
> Bernie_Rudberg_@_prodigy.net
>
> ****************************************************
> MEMBERSHIP DUES
> Individuals $10.00
> Families $18.00
> Seniors/Students $ 5.00
> If you get your newsletter via E-Mail, your renewal is due one
> year from the last time you paid. If you get the newsletter via
> snail mail, take a look at the address on your newsletter envelope.
> The date after your name is the last time your membership was
> renewed. If the date is more than a year ago it is time to renew.
> Send to the treasurer, Jerry Carey at: Hopewell Depot
> Restoration
> P O Box 1044
> Hopewell Junction, NY, 12533-1044
>
>
> ****************************************************
> CURRENT OFFICERS
> President. Bernie Rudberg
> VP and Treas. Jerry Carey
> Secretary Jackie Prusak
> Newsletter Editor Bernie Rudberg
>
> Bernie Rudberg 7 Marion Ave., Wappingers Falls, NY,
> 12590-6017 phone 221-9330 or
> E-Mail Bernie_Rudberg_@_prodigy.net
>
> Jerry Carey 27 Tamarack Dr., Hopewell Junction, NY,
> 12533-6432 phone 897-2145 or
> E-Mail jcarey_mba_@_idsi.net or
> JC101694_@_cs.com
>
> =================================
> The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
> railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
>
>
J. Henry Priebe Jr. Blue Moon President & Network Administrator
root_@_bluemoon.net www.bluemoon.net - Blue Moon Internet Corp
V.90, X2 & K56flex www.railfan.net - The Railfan Network
=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
------------------------------