Photo of the Week
FROM THE SCHS LIBRARY ARCHIVES
“How shall we know it is us without our past?”
– John Steinbeck
————–
LONG ISLAND RAILROAD
by Wendy Polhemus-Annibell, Head Librarian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LIRR Train to Wading River, 1906, by Hal B. Fullerton. The Port Jefferson line ran to Wading River until the 1960s. (Image from the Harry T. Tuthill Fullerton Collection of the SCHS Library Archives. Copyright © Suffolk County Historical Society. All rights reserved. [To view the Fullerton photo, please visit www.suffolkcountyhistoricalsociety.com website].
—————
LIRR Train to Wading River, 1906, by Hal B. Fullerton. The Port Jefferson line ran to Wading River until the 1960s. (Image from the Harry T. Tuthill Fullerton Collection of the SCHS Library Archives. Copyright © Suffolk County Historical Society. All rights reserved.)
The Long Island Railroad was incorporated nearly 187 years ago, on April 24, 1834, mainly for the purpose of constructing a link from Brooklyn to Boston. Because of New England’s hills and broad rivers, the Greenport route was chosen, and it connected with a steamship line to Stonington, Conn. The extension of the LIRR to Greenport in 1844 was an event that caused much excitement all over Long Island–for now it was possible to make the trip from the western end of Long Island to the eastern end in three hours instead of two to three days!
In the winter of 1843-44 there were a large number of men working on the Greenport line construction. Among them was Michael Creighton, grandfather of Thomas Creighton, flagman on the Griffing Avenue railroad crossing in Riverhead. Also among them was James Magee, grandfather of Barney Magee, blacksmith of Aquebogue. The first train to Greenport was run over the tracks on July 27, 1844. The engines burned wood, mostly pine, which was cut by men with buck saws.
INFO. SOURCE: Clarence Ashton Wood, “First Train to Greenport in 1844” (Long Island Forum, 1944).
**************
—————————
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Suffolk County Historical Society Museum is open to the public for a safe, socially-distanced family outing with 15-minute intervals between parties. Exhibits provide a safe, “touchless” experience for adults and children alike. Masks are required of all museum visitors over age 2.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To View 2014 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2015 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2016 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2017 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2018 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2019 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2020 Photo of the Week pages click here.
———————–
—————
==========================================
AAQ / Resource: Southampton Inn
In the Heart of Historic Southampton Village
________________________________________________________________