Jim Thorpe station (Lehigh Valley Railroad)
The Jim Thorpe station, also known as the Mauch Chunk station or East Mauch Chunk station, was a Lehigh Valley Railroad station that was located in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.
Jim Thorpe | |||||||||||||
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 1913 postcard of the station | |||||||||||||
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| Opened | September 1903 | ||||||||||||
| Closed | February 8, 1961 | ||||||||||||
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History and architectural features
This station building was situated on the east side of the Lehigh River, in what was known as East Mauch Chunk prior to its merger with Mauch Chunk in 1955. The merged borough was named Jim Thorpe in honor of the athlete and Olympic gold medalist. The station was one of two serving the community; the Central Railroad of New Jersey had a station on the opposite side of the river.
The Lehigh Valley began serving Mauch Chunk on September 12, 1855.[1] For the several years the Lehigh Valley used what chief engineer Robert H. Sayre described as a "temporary passenger depot."[2] The building was expanded in 1860.[3] This station was located at a bend in the Lehigh River, on the east bank. A bridge connected the station to Mauch Chunk on the other side of the river. A significant flood in March 1902 destroyed that bridge, leading the Lehigh Valley to abandon the station in favor of East Mauch Chunk, .5 miles (0.80 km) to the north.[4] A significant factor in the Lehigh Valley's decision was the location of the old station on the curve, which the president of the railroad criticized as dangerous and unfavorable.[5]
Although East Mauch Chunk existed as a named stop prior to 1902, the facilities there were primitive, described as a "rough shed."[4][6] A new two-story station building, made of brick, opened in September 1903. The Lehigh Valley referred to the reopened station as Mauch Chunk and dropped references to East Mauch Chunk.[7] Passenger service to Jim Thorpe, as it was now known, outlasted most of the Lehigh Valley by four days. Main line service ended on February 4, 1961, but service on the Hazleton Branch persisted until February 8.[8] The now-vacant building was sold to a developer in 1963 and demolished in 1964.[9]
Notes
- Archer 1977, p. 32
- Sayre 1899, p. 9
- Sayre 1899, p. 44
- "Situation on Lehigh Valley". Pittston Gazette. March 7, 1902. p. 3. Retrieved August 14, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- "No station for Mauch Chunk". Wilkes-Barre Times. April 6, 1903. p. 12. Retrieved August 14, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Official Guide of the Railways. New York: National Railway Publication Co. March 1900. p. 290. OCLC 6340864.
- "Mauch Chunk Station". The Wilkes-Barre Record. September 12, 1903. p. 8. Retrieved August 14, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Archer 1977, p. 275
- "Era Will End Today With Razing Of Lehigh Valley Railroad Depot". The Morning Call. August 22, 1964. p. 7. Retrieved August 14, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
References
- Archer, Robert F. (1977). The History of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Berkeley: Howell-North Books. ISBN 978-0-8310-7113-4.
- Sayre, Robert H. (1899). Lehigh Valley railroad co. Preliminary report upon the location of the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna railroad (now Lehigh Valley R.R.) August, 1852. Annual reports of superintendent and engineer, 1855 to 1863, from manuscript reports of Robert H. Sayre.