The Tamaqua station is a disused railway station that is located in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Tamaqua Historic District.[1]
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 | ||||||||||
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
edit19th century
editThis 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
editThe 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
editFollowing 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.