Wantagh Railroad Complex
Encyclopedia
Wantagh Railroad Complex(also known as the Wantagh Museum), is a collection of old buildings in Wantagh, New York
. It consists of the 1885-built Wantagh Railroad Station
before it was moved from its original location in 1966, when the Babylon Branch
was being elevated throughout the mid-20th Century. The station itself was a replacement for original South Side Railroad of Long Island station built in 1867. It also includes a diamond-shaped pre-crossbuck railroad crossing sign, and an old grade crossing gate.
Throughout the mid-20th Century, the LIRR was reconstructing the Atlantic and Babylon Branches in Queens, Nassau, and Western Suffolk Counties, which required elevating the lines and rebuilding new stations. In addition, since the mid-1950s Victorian-era stations throughout the system were being torn down and replaced either with modern ones, such as Douglaston Station
, or sheltered shacks like the controversial Amagansett Station
. Fearing that Wantagh Station would face the same fate, the Wantagh Preservation Society was established in 1965 for the purpose of maintaining the station in its existing condition and location. Though they failed to do so, the station was moved a few blocks north to a local park in 1966 and restored into 1969. In 1972, the LIRR donated the 1912-built parlor car called "The Jamaica" to the museum, which contained a solarium, cooking facilities and an ice-cooled air conditioning system. Across from the station is a 1907-built post office shack that served as Wantagh's official post office until the mid-1920s. In 1982, the station was opened to the public as a museum, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on June 30, 1983.
Wantagh, New York
Wantagh is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States...
. It consists of the 1885-built Wantagh Railroad Station
Wantagh (LIRR station)
Wantagh is a station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located on Wantagh Avenue and Railroad Avenue near NY 27 in Wantagh, New York...
before it was moved from its original location in 1966, when the Babylon Branch
Babylon Branch
The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The term refers to the trains serving Montauk Branch stations from Valley Stream east to Babylon. The Babylon Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of...
was being elevated throughout the mid-20th Century. The station itself was a replacement for original South Side Railroad of Long Island station built in 1867. It also includes a diamond-shaped pre-crossbuck railroad crossing sign, and an old grade crossing gate.
Throughout the mid-20th Century, the LIRR was reconstructing the Atlantic and Babylon Branches in Queens, Nassau, and Western Suffolk Counties, which required elevating the lines and rebuilding new stations. In addition, since the mid-1950s Victorian-era stations throughout the system were being torn down and replaced either with modern ones, such as Douglaston Station
Douglaston (LIRR station)
Douglaston is a station in the Douglaston section of Queens in New York City on the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The station is at 235th Street and 41st Avenue, off Douglaston Parkway and Wainscott Avenue, and is 13.9 miles from Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan...
, or sheltered shacks like the controversial Amagansett Station
Amagansett (LIRR station)
Amagansett is a station on the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Railroad, at Main Street and Abrahms Landing Road in Amagansett, New York.-History:...
. Fearing that Wantagh Station would face the same fate, the Wantagh Preservation Society was established in 1965 for the purpose of maintaining the station in its existing condition and location. Though they failed to do so, the station was moved a few blocks north to a local park in 1966 and restored into 1969. In 1972, the LIRR donated the 1912-built parlor car called "The Jamaica" to the museum, which contained a solarium, cooking facilities and an ice-cooled air conditioning system. Across from the station is a 1907-built post office shack that served as Wantagh's official post office until the mid-1920s. In 1982, the station was opened to the public as a museum, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 30, 1983.