The Boston Corners station was a former

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

that served the residents of Ancram, New York.

History

Boston Corners was the first stop of the

New York and Harlem Railroad The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and was the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and ...

in Columbia County, between Dover Plains (to the south) and the end of the line at Chatham (to the north), and was constructed between 1848 and 1852. The site was originally known as "Boston Corner" which was located at the time in the very Southwest corner of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. However, on January 3, 1855 the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

annexed from

to New York. This now situated about of the NY&H in New York State. In the early days of the development the area was known as "the Badlands" which was a spot where numerous fugitives would engage in illegal activities such as

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and prize fights. The railroad was acquired by the

New York Central and Hudson River Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

in 1864, and converted it into the Harlem Division. By the early 1870s the station also began to serve the

Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railway The Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railway was the first railroad to run east from Poughkeepsie, New York, and was taken over by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and assigned to the Central New England Railway in 1907. History Beginnings T ...

and the Rhinebeck and Connecticut Railroad, both of which were eventually acquired by the Central New England Railway. The CNE abandoned the P&E in 1925, and then the R&C in 1938. Service on the Harlem at Boston Corners was reduced many times in the 20th century, and in 1940 it was reduced to a flag stop. On September 28, 1952 the station was closed by New York Central, remained for a few years and was dismantled a few years later. Passenger service continued until March 20, 1972. Freight continued running on the line until service north of Wassaic ceased on March 27, 1976. The rails were lifted in 1981 by Conrail.

References

External links

Fairbanks Morse C-Liner at Boston Corners; c. 1959, by Chuck Brandt
Railway stations closed in 1972 Former New York Central Railroad stations Stations along Central New England Railway lines 1972 disestablishments in New York (state) Former railway stations in New York (state) Transportation in Columbia County, New York Railway stations in Columbia County, New York {{NewYork-railstation-stub