Butler station (New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway)

Butler
Butler station in August 2025
General information
Location	221 Main Street, Butler, New Jersey 07405
Owned by	New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad
Line(s)	New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2 NYS&W
Other information
Station code	1149 (Erie Railroad) [1] BA (NYS&W) [2]
History
Opened	May 1, 1872 [3] [4]
Closed	June 30, 1966 [5]
Rebuilt	1888 [6]
Electrified	Not electrified
Previous names	West Bloomingdale (1872–) [4]
Services
Preceding station New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad Following station Charlotteburgh toward Stroudsburg Main Line Bloomingdale toward Susquehanna Transfer or Jersey City
New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Official Erie Railroad photo of Butler station c. 1907–1912
Show map of Morris County, New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Show map of the United States
Location	Main Street, Butler, New Jersey
Coordinates	41°0′14″N74°20′33″W / 41.00389°N 74.34250°W / 41.00389; -74.34250
Area	1.2 acres (0.49 ha)
Built	1872
Architectural style	Stick/Eastlake
NRHP reference No.	01001492 [7]
NJRHP No.	2093 [8]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	January 24, 2002
Designated NJRHP	August 15, 2001

Butler is a former commuter railroad train station in the borough of Butler, Morris County, New Jersey. Serving passenger and freight trains of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, Butler served as the western terminus of service beginning in 1941, when passenger service was cut from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. ^[9] Trains from Butler operated to Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City until December 12, 1958 and then Susquehanna Transfer in North Bergen until the discontinuation of service on June 30, 1966. Butler station consisted of a single low-level side platform with the wooden frame station. The next station east was Bloomingdale.

Railroad service through Butler began on May 1, 1872 with the opening of the New Jersey Midland Railroad from Pompton Township to Middletown, New York. However, the station at the time was known as West Bloomingdale. ^{[4] [3]} The station depot, built in Stick–Eastlake architecture in 1888, ^[6] currently serves as the Butler Museum, a local nonprofit historical entity. The National Register of Historic Places added Butler station to its listings on January 24, 2002 for its transportation significance. ^[10] Since May 1976, the station has served as the Butler Museum, a local museum focusing on the industrial, cultural and social histories of the municipality.

History

As part of a $125,000 deal to acquire some right-of-way along Main Street in Butler, the municipality acquired the station depot. This deal helped faciliate plans for a widening of Main Street and relocate the main line tracks for the Susquehanna. The municipality spent money to repair the depot's leaking roof and volunteers from Butler High School helped clean the depot. The new museum opened to the public on May 8, 1976 with a bicentennial parade on Main Street and dedication speeches. ^[11]

See also

• NYSW (passenger 1939–1966) map
• Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource (New Jersey)
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Morris County, New Jersey
• List of museums in New Jersey

Bibliography

• Catlin, George L. (1872). Homes on the Midland for New York Business Men. New York, New York: J. W. Pratt.
• Mohowski, Robert E. (2003). The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   0-8018-7222-7.
• Carlough, Curtis V.; Fredericks, Harold; Stuy, Timothy; Van Dyk, Fred (1999). The Next Station Will Be... Volume 1 (Revised). New Jersey Midland Railroad Historical Society, Inc. ISBN   9780941652155.

References

1. "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
2. Carlough et al. (1999), pp. 34–35.
3. Mohowski 2003, p. 17.
4. Catlin 1872, p. 8.
5. "Susquehanna Commuter Service Ends". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. July 1, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved October 23, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
6. Gosier, Chris (April 2, 2001). "Historic Effort Gaining Steam". The Daily Record. Morristown, New Jersey. pp. A9–A10 . Retrieved February 7, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "National Register Information System – (#01001492)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
8. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Morris County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. September 29, 2022. p. 2.
9. Mohowski 2003, p. 98.
10. McCabe, Wayne T. (August 1997). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad Station". National Park Service. With accompanying 36 photos
11. McKeown, Dan (May 7, 1976). "Museum to Open". Herald News . Passaic, New Jersey. p. 13. Retrieved August 18, 2025– via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Butler Museum