The Hanover Junction Railroad Station is an historic railroad station which is located in Hanover Junction in North Codorus Township,

York County, Pennsylvania York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983.

History

Erected between 1852 and 1854, this historic railroad station building is a three-story, three-bay-by-six-bay, rectangular frame building with a flat roof that was built by the

Hanover Branch Railroad The Hanover Branch Railroad Company was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century. The company was incorporated on March 16, 1847, and began operating trains in 1852. It represents the oldest portion of the Western Maryland R ...

. It remained in service until the 1920s. In April 1853, "The Accommodation Train" operated every day except Sundays by the

Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad The Northern Central Railway (NCRY) was a Class I Railroad connecting Baltimore, Maryland with Sunbury, Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna River. Completed in 1858, the line came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1861, whe ...

, logging arrivals and departures between the Hanover Junction Railroad Station and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland. In mid-December 1858, the

Gettysburg Railroad The Gettysburg Railroad was a railway line in Pennsylvania that operated from 1858 to 1870 over the 17-mile (27 km) main line from the terminus in Gettysburg to the 1849 Hanover Junction. After becoming the Susquehanna, Gettysburg & Poto ...

was opened for business, beginning with two trains leaving the Carlisle Street train depot in Gettysburg daily, one 7:00 a.m. departure connecting "Hanover Junction with the up-train, for York, Harrisburg, Columbia, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

," and a "down-train" departure from Hanover Junction at 12:45 p.m. which took passengers to Baltimore. By the spring of 1859, express and mail train operations between Hanover Junction and Baltimore were in full swing.

American Civil War

Following the

fall of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Foll ...

in mid-April 1861, during the opening months of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, the Hanover Junction Railroad Station became a key transportation hub for the movement of

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

soldiers from the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and other areas in the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

where federal troops were stationed to protect cities, towns, and critical infrastructure points endangered by

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

incursions. Train traffic through Hanover Junction then continued to grow as horses and supplies were added to the increasing number of Union soldiers being transported as the war turned into a multi-year conflict. In June 1863, the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'',

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

, and other newspapers nationwide reported the incursion of Confederate forces into Pennsylvania. On June 27, Confederate troops led by

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate States of America, Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early r ...

occupied the town of Carlisle, and then advanced toward Hanover Junction, which had been able to maintain

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

communications with state and military leaders in

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

. The Confederates, who had reached Gettysburg on June 26 and were "in force at Abbottstown and Kingston," subsequently reached the Northern Central Railroad by noon on June 27, where they succeeded in cutting telegraph wires between York and Hanover Junction. The

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

was then waged between July 1 and 3. Following the Union Army's victory, which helped turn the tide of war in favor of the federal government, Hanover Junction became a critical hub for transporting thousands of wounded soldiers from the battlefield aide stations where they had received immediate lifesaving care to federal military hospitals in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, and other northern towns, which had significantly better access to advanced medical treatment options for the severe traumatic injuries that many of the soldiers had received. Between November 18 and 19, 1863, President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

traveled through Hanover Junction to and from the dedication ceremonies for the

Gettysburg National Cemetery Gettysburg National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery created for Union casualties from the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought between July 1 to 3, 1863, resulted in the large ...

. A series of photographs taken around this time are believed, by some historians, to have captured Lincoln standing on the station's platform; ''Note:'' This includes however, other historians have disputed this claim, citing the travel schedules of Lincoln, his bodyguard Ward Lamon, and others who traveled separately from Lincoln as proof that the photos do not show Lincoln waiting for a train. In February 1864, members of the

Pennsylvania Legislature The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

debated requiring the

to improve its infrastructure and passenger train service between Hanover Junction and the borough of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

Post-Civil War to early 1900s

In May 1865, the Northern Central Railway completed construction of a double track between Baltimore and Hanover Junction. A new coaling depot that would service freight engines at Hanover Junction was also erected. Later that same year, on November 22, a Baltimore Express train scheduled to arrive

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

derailed near Hanover Junction. The train's engine, two passenger cars and a baggage car were destroyed, the brakeman was mortally wounded and several passengers sustained minor injuries.Disaster on Northern Central Railroad
" Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: ''Pittsburgh Commercial'', November 24, 1865, p. 1 (subscription required).

Recent history

This railroad station building was added to the

in 1983. The station now houses a museum with Civil War images, models of the various configurations of the building over the years, memorabilia, and other displays. It is also a restroom stop for the York County Heritage Rail Trail, a bicycle and walking path which parallels the old tracks of the Northern Central Railway.

Gallery

File:Hanover Junction w NCRR train.JPG, Hanover Junction Railroad Station in 2013 File:NCRR 17 at Hanover Junction PA.JPG, The steam locomotive, "York," at Hanover Junction, in 2013

References

External links

Hanover Junction Museum
- York County

- York County
Hanover Junction Railroad Station
Stories about growing up in the Hanover Junction Railroad Station by Roger Shaffer {{authority control Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Railway stations in the United States opened in 1854 Transportation buildings and structures in York County, Pennsylvania Museums in York County, Pennsylvania Railroad museums in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in York County, Pennsylvania 1854 establishments in Pennsylvania