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(rshsdepot) Stoughton Mass Railroad station

From WickedLocal Stoughton - http://www.wickedlocal.com/stoughton/news/x1092986556/Stoughton-train-station-has-had-quite-a-history


Stoughton train station has had quite a history
Stoughton - For 23 years, Stoughton resident Bob Viola was among hundreds of daily commuters who passed through the train station on Wyman Street.

From 1959 to 1982, Viola took the commuter rail from Stoughton to his job in Boston. He often took for granted the building’s beauty and the shelter it provided. Today — as a proposed extension to the railroad makes him wonder about the future of the landmark — he wants residents and commuters to know more about the station’s history.

“It’s important to give people some insight as to what this station represents,” said Viola, 74.

Dwight MacKerron, president of the Stoughton Historical Society, asked Viola to take on a project to research the history of the building. MacKerron said he wanted to honor the building because it is a major part of the town’s history that dramatically changed the way of life for Stoughton residents. Viola came up with material for an exhibit of photos and written history that went on display inside the station last week.

“It was a great boon to Stoughton’s industries — it was Stoughton’s connection to the world,” said MacKerron.

In answer to recent speculation that the station might be in danger of closing when the South Coast Rail project is completed, MBTA spokesman Joe D. Pesaturo said simply, “The station is not being closed.”

The project is currently in the environmental review stage, and one of three possible routes goes through Stoughton. The route will be chosen by Labor Day. No matter what happens, Kristina Egan, Southcoast rail manager, said the station won’t be affected.

“It is an historic station and we want to keep it intact,” said Egan.

Retired since 2003, Viola started volunteering for the Stoughton Historical Society in January. His first assignment was to create an exhibit on the history of the train station. Poring over old newspapers, documents and books, Viola uncovered a wealth of information about the 121-year-old station.

When the Stoughton Branch Railroad debuted on April 16, 1844, the town broke ground on a station.

That first station, located across the street from the current station, burned down in 1845. Later that year, a second station blew down before it was even completed. A third station, also across the street from the current station, was in use from 1845 to 1888.

The Stoughton Train Station, as it is known today, was built in 1888 with stones from a West Street quarry that belonged to Stoughton resident Myron Gilbert. Viola also learned that the station is the only one in Massachusetts to house a clock tower.

The facility was designed with a men’s waiting area and a women’s waiting area. Each side had its own ticket window. Entering the station from Wyman Street, women would go to the left side and men to the right. On the women’s side, the 30-foot oak ceiling is formed in a circular dome with a decorative metal grate in its center. Long cast-iron and wood benches, which still stand today, were built to accommodate the women.

The men’s side was less comfortable and more business-oriented, said Viola. “It had tables and chairs, likely so that a man could put his briefcase on the table,” he explained.

Even into the 1960s and 1970s, when the station was no longer segregated, the former men’s side still offered more of a business look, with round tables and chairs, said Viola. Today, the furnishings on the right side are “makeshift,” and include a few old desks, tables and chairs, he said.

Metal fixtures still hang on several walls where gas lamps once illuminated the station. There are a few antiques, including a green wooden luggage cart, a freight scale and a coal-burning stove, which weathered the years and remain inside the station.

Many know that the station was hit by a high-speed train in 1924. Viola learned that the accident was caused by young kids. “They apparently put some things on the track to derail the train,” he said. The youths were caught, but Viola was unable to locate any historical document that provided further information on them or any punishment they received.

In the mid-1970s, Viola said, a local woman and a group of volunteers undertook a major restoration project on the station. Alice Petruzzo started the Restoration Committee in 1974 under the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Initially, the committee received assistance from federal, state and local restoration-preservation grants.

In February 1980, the grant money was cut and Petruzzo and her committee had to do substantial fundraising to complete the project, said Viola. They hosted flea markets, model railroad shows, a rock ‘n’ roll dance, a fashion show, and many other events, he said.

“Over a million dollars was raised to restore the station to its original luster in time for the 100th anniversary,” said Viola.

In 2002, Stoughton Chamber of Commerce President Terry Schneider assisted a New York-based production company in securing the Stoughton Train Station for the purposes of shooting a documentary. In the film, the station was used to depict the Sixth Street Station in Washington DC where President James A. Garfield was shot in 1881. The Stoughton Train Station and the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce were both credited in the documentary, “Forensics in the White House,” which aired on the Discovery Channel.

Schneider, a Stoughton resident, said two copies of the documentary are available for borrowing from the Stoughton Public Library.

The Stoughton Train Station, said Schneider, has been used for other documentaries and movies over the years.  Its historic value is very significant, he said.

“It is the only train station in the country that still has the look and charm of a 19th century train station,” said Schneider.

The Stoughton Train Station exhibit is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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