The Newington Railroad Depot is a historic railroad station on Bloody Point Road in

Newington, New Hampshire Newington is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 811 at the 2020 census. It is bounded to the west by Great Bay, northwest by Little Bay and northeast by the Piscataqua River. It is home to Portsmouth Int ...

. Built in 1873, it is an unusual railroad-related structure, serving as a passenger and freight depot, and as the residence of the stationmaster, who also performed the role of toll collector for the nearby bridge. It is the only surviving 19th-century railroad-related structure in Newington. Now vacant and owned by the state, the building was listed on 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 v ...

in 2010.

Description and history

The former Newington Railroad Depot is located near the tip of Bloody Point, a peninsular projection that separates New Hampshire's Great Bay from the

Piscataqua River The Piscataqua River (Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River. The drainage basin of the river ...

. It is located on the west side of a former railroad alignment, and its parcel includes foundational remains of a period bridge abutment. It is a -story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. The east side faced the tracks, and has one entrance that historically led to the waiting room; there are two entrances on the west side. The building was constructed in 1873 by the

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Railroad to provide passenger and freight services, and to provide housing for the stationmaster. This type of depot, integrating all of the functions and providing housing, was generally rare, and this surviving example is particularly well preserved. The bridge across the mouth of Great Bay was completed in 1874, carrying a single railroad track as well as space for carriages and pedestrians. The stationmaster, in addition to managing the station, collected tolls for pedestrians and carriages crossing the bridge, and operated the swing section of the bridge to permit boat traffic to pass. It remained in service until the completion of the General Sullivan Bridge in 1934. The rail line was subsequently abandoned, and the nearby tracks were taken up in 1940.

References

{{NRHP in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Transportation buildings and structures in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Railway stations in the United States opened in 1873 Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Railway freight houses on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Newington, New Hampshire Railway buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Former railway stations in New Hampshire

Description and history

See also

References