The
Society maintains a collection of items
(photos, manuscripts, books, artifacts, documents, news clippings,
etc.)
relating to greater Chester community's history. We are also building a computerized database
of this collection, to which items are
added
every month.
To see items from the Chester Historical Society collection posted on
the Hudson River Valley Heritage website, click this link: Browse
Chester Historical Society's contributions the HRVH project.
For
additional images or details
from our database
please contact keeper of the database, Clif Patrick, e-mail:chester_historical@mac.com
Or,
if you have iCal,
you subscribe to the Chester Historical Society’s Calender of events at:
webcal://ical.mac.com/chester_historical/Chester32Historical.ics
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Open Saturdays May through October 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Chester, NY
Located about fifty miles northwest of New York City in Orange County, NY. Exit 126 off Route
17 (soon to be Interstate 86). The Town of Chester was formed in
1845 from parts of the Towns of Blooming Grove, Goshen, Monroe and
Warwick. The Village of Chester was incorporated in 1892.
Get directions via Mapquest
Note: Mapquest will get you to the end of Winkler
Place, so just continue down Winkler Place to the Station.
Whistle Stops
• Why was the line built? April 24, 1834, Jeremiah Pierson, who owned and operated several mines and mills in the Ramapos, had the foresight to persuade the New York legislature to authorize the construction of the New York and Erie Railroad. Construction started at Piermont on the Hudson with the final destination point as Dunkirk on Lake Erie. This gave Pierson an advantage in distributing his products.
• Chester Black Dirt. Going across the black dirt in Chester was one of the biggest obstacles in building the Railroad. In the 1840's the meadows were seen as a huge swamp, consequently hundreds of piles had to be driven fifty feet to a solid foundation in the soil to create a solid roadbed. On top of the piles, a trestle of equally strong lumber was built to support the line.
• 1841 Chester Station was the first to open on the Erie Main Line.
• Webster's train ride. In 1851 the New York and Erie Company held a commemorative ceremonial train ride to celebrate the completion of the line. One of the more illustrative passengers was Daniel Webster, then Secretary of State. Webster decided against sitting in one of the passenger cars and opted instead to sit in a rocking chair that was placed on a flatcar, in order, he explained, to have abetter view of the countryside: This was the precursor for future political strategies.
• Milk. For several years, dairy farmers in Orange County had been shipping butter out of Newburgh for sale in New York City. With the advent of the Railroad, farmers started shipping their butter by rail at shorter intervals. Thaddeus Selleck, Chester's first Station Agent, proposed the shipment of milk directly to the city. In 1842, Selleck, with Philo Gregory, the only farmer to respond to Mr. Selleck's proposal, organized the shipment of 240 quarts of milk by the Erie Railroad. This consisted of 41 miles from Chester to Piermont and then 21 miles by boat to New York City. Other farmers soon realized it was more profitable to ship milk than butter. In 1843, 4,000,000 quarts of milk were being shipped over the Erie, and Orange County milk was in demand in New York City. By 1853 the Orange County Milk Association was distributing 7000 quarts daily. Farming interests in Orange County were revolutionized, and a new and nationwide industry was introduced into the American landscape.
• Last Train. In the spring of 1983, the
final
commuter train made its trip through the Village of Chester. By the
1980's
superhighways had changed transportation patterns and the Railroad
closed
the Harriman to Middletown line. By November 1984, the tracks had been
taken up.
• Chester Historical Society. Chartered by the New York State Department of Education, and formed in 1964, its mission is to promote the rich heritage of the Village and Town of Chester, New York. The Historical Society accomplishes this through the restoration and preservation of its historical places, documents and recordings of oral history. It also provides educational programs to the public and exhibits its collections of pictures, newspapers, and recorded oral history.
• 1915 Erie Railroad Station Museum. In 1915,
through
the efforts of Messrs. Robert Golet and Richard Delafield, the 1841
station
was replaced by a new one. This restored station museum now houses
exhibitions
of local and historical interest as well as the Chester School Alumni
Exhibit.
It is open Saturdays, May through October, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm with
tours
for schools and local groups by appointment.
The Chester Historical Society holds
its
monthly meetings at the museum and space is available to local groups.
It is handicapped accessible.
Annual events held at the museum include:
the The Chester Historical Society’s series of yard sales for
fundraising,
the community tree lighting celebrating the holidays with the museum
open
for refreshments and special exhibitions. With its location on the
Heritage
Trail, several charity walks/runs utilize the museum's hospitality
yearly.
• Heritage Trail. When competed the Heritage Trail will extend from the City of Middletown to the Village of Harriman, a total of 19 miles. Eleven miles are already completed from Hartley Road to Mill Pond Park in Monroe. There are 8 more miles to be finished. Currently there is easy access and free parking in the Village of Chester at the Chester Depot Museum, in the Village of Goshen at St. James Place behind the Goshen Savings Bank, and off Route 17M in Monroe. Trail users may enjoy biking, walking, rollerblading, nature. study, as well as shopping or dining in the local villages.
Restoration Highlights
