Central Railroad of New Jersey Passenger
Station
White House Station, New Jersey
255 Main
Street
1890
Listed on the National Register of Historic
Places on June 22, 1984 (84002726 NRIS)
From a plaque outside the station: The Somerville & Easton Railroad first
reached the rural community of White House in 1848 and a modest depot was
constructed to shelter travelers as they waited for the stagecoach. By 1860,
a small community, aptly named White House Station, had developed around the
depot. In the 1880's, farming had become an important industry in Hunterdon
County, and to speed the shipment of produce to the New York market, a
branch line, the Rockaway Valley Railroad, was constructed in 1888. Known
affectionely as the Rockabye Baby because of its bumpy ride, the line
extended thirteen miles from White House Station to Morristown.
In 1849, the S. & E. was renamed the Central
Railroad of New Jersey and as freight and passenger traffic increased at
White House Station, now a junction stop, the C.N.J., also enjoying a period
of prosperity, commissioned noted architect Bradford L. Gilbert to design a
new station. Gilbert chose a popular Victorian style, Richardsonian
Romanesque, which is characterized by a heavy, rough-cut stone exterior,
broad roof planes, deeply-recessed arched window and door openings and the
use of a variety of shapes and forms, such as the polygonal porch on the
front of the building.
Through citizen initiative and the NJ TRANSIT
Station Leasing Program, the station was restored to its original grandeur.
On December 7, 1981, after seven months of dedicated community effort, White
House Station opened its doors as Readington Township's first public
library. White House Station was listed on both the State and National
Registers of Historic Places in 1984.
Sources of interest are shown at
the
bottom of this page.
Just click on a thumbnail image
below to open the corresponding picture.
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