Tamaqua station
Tamaqua | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former Reading Railroad station | |||||||||||
 Tamaqua station in July 2010 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 18 N. Railroad St., Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°47′53″N 75°58′12″W / 40.7980°N 75.9701°W | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Architectural style | Italianate | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1874 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 1961 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1880, 1885 | ||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Reading Railroad Passenger Station—Tamaqua | |||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 85003164[1] | ||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | December 26, 1985 | ||||||||||
The Tamaqua station is a disused railway station that is located in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Tamaqua Historic District.[1]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 26, 1985, as the Reading Railroad Passenger Station-Tamaqua.
History and architectural features[edit]
19th century[edit]
This station was originally built by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in 1874, which had earlier acquired the Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company.[2] It is a one-story brick building that was designed in the Italianate style.
In 1880, an addition was made to the original 1874, giving it a T-plan. In 1885, a freight house was added.[3]
20th century[edit]
The station ceased train operations in 1961 and was formally abandoned in 1981.[4]
In 1984, a local family offered to purchase the railroad station and proposed that the building would be turned into a museum, similar to Steamtown, U.S.A. in Scranton.[5]
On December 26, 1985, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Reading Railroad Passenger Station--Tamaqua.
21st century[edit]
Following a $1.5 million restoration, the building was reopened in 2004 as a heritage center.[6]
In 2023, the station was featured on a USPS Forever stamp in a 5-stamp "Railroad Stations" series. The stamp illustrations were made by Down the Street Designs, and Derry Noyes served as the art director.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ Tamaqua Railroad Station - Historical Chronology[dead link]
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2005-09-14. Retrieved 2012-06-03. Note: This includes Michael Havrischak (August 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Reading Railroad: Passenger Station (Tamaqua)" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-03.
- ^ Adams, Charles J. (2004). Coal Country Ghosts, Legends and Lore. Exeter House Books. ISBN 1-880683-20-2.
- ^ "RAIL STATION MAY BECOME A MUSEUM". Philadelphia Inquirer. October 11, 1984. p. B25 Local. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
- ^ "History". Tamaqua Railroad Station. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. Postal Service Reveals Stamps for 2023". United States Postal Service. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
External links[edit]
- Former railway stations in Pennsylvania
- Former Reading Company stations
- Italianate architecture in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
- Railway stations in the United States opened in 1874
- Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- Transportation buildings and structures in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
- Tamaqua, Pennsylvania