DL&W Railroad Station

The Nicholson Heritage Association is raising funds to purchase and renovate the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad’s (DL&W) Nicholson Station, located right off Route 11. This landmark has been a virtually unchanged fixture in Nicholson for more than 160 years.

     
                 Station - Pre 1915                                                       Station - 2009

Built in 1849 by the Liggett’s Gap Railroad, one of DL&W’s predecessors, the railroad station was the first station built on the Scranton, PA to Great Bend, PA line. Before being used as a freight and passenger station, the building was used to house and feed transient workers. In 1855, the local U.S. Post Office was moved to the station, at which time the name of the settlement was changed from Baconville (sometimes also referred to as Bacontown) to Nicholson. In May 1878, the first telephone service in Northeastern Pennsylvania was opened between the station in Nicholson and the DL&W station in Scranton, about 21 miles south.  Nicholson would not be the same once the railroad was built.

Until the completion of the Clarks Summit-Hallstead Cut-off in 1915, Nicholson was the low point on the rail line and four locomotives were kept here near the station at all times to push trains out of the valley. After the Cut-off was finished in 1915, the railroad station handled freight service only and passenger service was then provided from the new station built on the hill near the recently completed Nicholson Bridge, or the Tunkhannock Viaduct.

Members of the Association have already met with the station's owner and representatives from Preservation Pennsylvania and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development, as well as reached out to Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation, the Endless Mountains Heritage Region, and the Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission to let them know of our intention to acquire the station and garner technical and financial support. In addition to raising funds to purchase the station, the next step in the process is to continue to foster these relationships and garner support within the community and region.

We want to encourage innovative partnerships and approaches to the historic preservation of this station with local, state, and federal partners and other organizations. By working together, we can preserve this historical, cultural building and promote commerce within our town and region. We are excited about spearheading this initiative and working with local, state, and federal partners and other organizations to make this a reality.

News about our efforts:
          Wyoming County Press Examiner - July 7, 2010

Should you wish to make a tax-deductible donation, our mailing address is Nicholson Heritage Association, PO Box 496, Nicholson, PA 18446. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal by clicking the button below:

Thank you for your support!