The Hillsdale 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 ...

Harlem Division station that served the residents of

Hillsdale, New York Hillsdale is a town in Columbia County, New York, near Hudson, New York and Great Barrington, Massachusetts. State Routes 22 and 23 intersect near the town center, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town has several r ...

History

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 ...

built their main line through Hillsdale between 1848 and 1852, and installed a station there. The station catered to a local community that had a substantial industry during that era. The line provided both passenger and freight train services, and was acquired by the New York Central System in 1864. It was frequently used by

Edna St. Vincent Millay Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. She wrote much of he ...

, who became a local resident in 1925. It was one of the stations on the Harlem Line to serve limited stop trains that went from New York City all the way to

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

and

North Adams, Massachusetts North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census. Best known as the ...

in the

Berkshires The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...

. Such through trains were replaced by shuttle transfers in 1950. However, with the demise of the Harlem Division passenger service north of

Dover Plains Dover Plains is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 1,323 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

on March 20, 1972, the station was closed for passengers and provided freight only services. Hillsdale provided commercial freight services until 1980, when the tracks north of Wassaic were dismantled.

References

Former New York Central Railroad stations Railway stations closed in 1972 Former railway stations in New York (state) Transportation in Columbia County, New York Railway stations in Columbia County, New York {{NewYork-railstation-stub