THE

RAILROAD STATION

IN

Manheim History

Manheim Railroad Station Ca. 2006.

Open Sundays June through September

1:00 to 4:00 P.M.

210 S. Charlotte Street Manheim, PA 17545 Tel. (717) 665-7989

"Preserving the past for the future. "

The railroad was an important factor in the early development of Manheim, replacing travel by horse and wagon, sleigh and stage­coach over dirt, piked, and planked roads.

The first idea for having a railroad run through Manheim came about in 1846 but nothing was done about it. The project was once again proposed in 1849, and the railroad was to run from the Pine Grove coalmines to Lancaster by way of Lebanon, Cornwall, the Mount Hope ironworks and Manheim. It was said to have been of interest and benefit to the iron furnaces of those places and the various manufacturing plants along the way to Safe Harbor, York, and Baltimore. But nothing was actually started until1859, when the first steps were taken to start the building of a railroad from Columbia to Reading. Two Manheim businessmen, Nathan Worley and John Hostet­ter, were influential in seeing that the road came through Manheim. They talked to the local people about the advantages of a railroad and helped get the financial part of the project started.

Actual work began on May 17, 1861, just southwest of Manheim, where considerable grading was needed and a bridge had to be built. On October 25, 1862, the "C.S. Maltby" was the first locomotive to come into Manheim at the South Charlotte Street crossing. The first passenger train was run into town on November 24, 1862. About that time, an extensive siding was put down and a warehouse was constructed. Two daily passenger trains were run between Manheim and Columbia and freight was shipped, by way of Columbia, to and from Philadelphia and Baltimore. The first freight shipment was a carload of flour from John Hostetter's Mill to Philadelphia on November 24, 1862.

April 22, 1864, the railroad was completed to Reading. The road was 43 miles long and cost $1,000,000. The line from Lancaster Junction to Lancaster was opened in 1866, and the Manheim to Lebanon branch in 1884. The major part of the railroad was first known as the Reading & Columbia Railroad and later as the Philadelphia & Reading. The Lebanon section was called the Cornwall Railroad.

The railroad furthered local business progress and the station became a social attraction. People gathered there "to see the cars come in." There was even an express train, with a parlor car, from Lancaster to Jersey City.

Not much is known about the first train stations in Manheim, but in 1864, there was a freight depot located across the tracks and just north of the present station. There was also an engine house and a "Y" west of this depot and south of the main tracks, down from the end of South Grant Street.

By 1875 there was a small, plain passen­ger depot on the east side of South Char­lotte

Reading R.R. Station, Manheim, Ca.1912.

Street across the street from the present station. Plans for the present station were well underway by 1881, and it was finally completed in that year. It was of frame construction, 32 by 85 feet, of a fine Victorian architecture and is believed to have been designed by Philadelphia architect Frank Furness, who built many of the Reading Railroad stations of that period. While not having the complexity of detail found in some Furness buildings, it has a great spreading roof and orderly rectilinear pattern of brown jointed boards overlying the clapboards. Many visiting architects and historians have been interested in this station, that includes separate men's and women's waiting rooms on the eastern end and a freight station on the western end.

At one time, Samuel Lehman, the railroad carpenter, and his workmen raised the whole freight room floor three feet to provide easier loading of freight from the station platform into the cars.

By 1899 there was a railroad siding along the southern side of the station and also at the present "Y" of the Lebanon Railroad to the east. For many years railroad development in the Manheim area was a big and busy operation, but, as the automobile came into use, the passenger service was drastically reduced. Passenger service to Manheim ended November 5, 1950. Since then, Manheim has only had freight trains run over the line a few days a week. None of these freight trains stop at the Manheim station and the line only goes as far east as Lititz. The line is no longer the Reading Railroad, or even Conrail as it was for many years, but is now owned by Norfolk Southern.

So the railroad station began its long period of deterioration. Needed repairs were not made and, finally in 1976, it was of no use to even the freight business, was locked up and left to waste away. Thoughtless vandals aided in its further decline.

Manheim Railroad Station, Ca. 1983.

Fortunately, the basic construction held up pretty well and interested people began to show a concern for it. Even the younger generation got involved and a young girl, Melissa Boyer of Orchard Street, wrote a letter to the Manheim Historical Society, expressing her interest in the station and her belief that it should be taken care of and restored.

Already the Manheim Historical Society and others had started work and this letter helped further the resulting action. The Historical Society and other townspeople found out that the station could be bought for $40,000. A Lancaster County Community Development Block Grant was obtained and the project was on the way. Much volunteer labor was donated and real progress was made. Many people worked together in the successful restoration of this fine station. It now houses the Historical Society's Transportation & Industrial

Museum, meeting room for the use of the com­munity, and the John D. Kendig library.

This station is one of four stations still standing of the original Columbia & Reading Railroad­Ephrata, Sinking Springs, and East Petersburg are the other three. Only Manheim and Ephrata are at their original locations. The East Petersburg station was moved to Strasburg and the one at Sinking Springs has been moved some distance from its former location.

A really outstanding piece of Americana in the railroad world has been restored in Manheim, where it has been si,.ce 1881. Come and enjoy it with us!

Manheim Historical Society P.O. Box396

Manheim, PA 17545

(717) 665-7989 mhs@dejazzd.com

www.manheimpa.com