History of the Mount Joy Train Station
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History of the Mount Joy Train Station This booklet was prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to help preserve and publicize the history of Mount Joy Station amid Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements. January 2021 BOSTON ! ! NEW YORK PITTSBURGH ! !HARRISBURG ^ ! MOUNT JOY PHILADELPHIA LEGEND ^ Mount Joy ! Major Cities ! WASHINGTON DC Amtrak’s Keystone Service Keystone Corridor Northeast Corridor Additional Amtrak Service Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc. Thompson, Johnson, Mirmiran & p 2020 illustration of Amtrak's Keystone Corridor linking Mount Joy to the Northeast Corridor as well as Pittsburgh and points west. Introduction The railroad first came to Mount The railroad has had a lasting railroad has benefited the community Joy in 1836, when the Harrisburg, impact on Mount Joy and the sur- by linking Mount Joy to the greater Portsmouth, Mount Joy & Lancaster rounding area. Located 12 miles southeastern Pennsylvania region Railroad (HPMJ&L) began service on west of Lancaster, Mount Joy has and distant city centers of Pittsburgh, its newly constructed rail line. More hosted a train stop since the HPMJ&L Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New than 100 years later, the historic event began service. As of 2020, Mount Joy York. was recounted in a 1942 edition of remained a popular local stop along Mount Joy has witnessed many the local newspaper: the Keystone Corridor, which spans changes to its railroad line over its 180- The day when the first engine the state between Philadelphia and year existence. Throughout changing arrived in town was ere long to Pittsburgh. Mount Joy travelers can ownership, track realignment, and be remembered. Farmers for access Amtrak’s1 Keystone Service, a four different station buildings, the many miles around came to see route linking Harrisburg and New York railroad has continued to provide the "Iron Horse" puff and squeal City via connection in Philadelphia to service to passengers traveling to and and many were afraid, while oth- the Northeast Corridor, as depicted from Mount Joy. ers shouted and leaped for joy. on the map. Since its early days, the Some old people predicted that the world was now coming to an end, when men got so smart as to make live creatures out of iron. Mount Joy Bulletin August 6, 1942 1 National Railroad Passenger Corporation doing business as Amtrak® 1 Early Travel Across Pennsylvania Understanding the evolution of trans- Early Improvements to network of canals to more efficiently portation in Mount Joy begins with Major Routes move passengers and goods to larger considering early travel in Pennsylva- The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turn- markets. A primary goal was to con- nia and how those routes influenced pike dates to the late 1600s, when it nect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but the method of travel for passengers served as a major route between the the state’s mountainous terrain made and freight. Delaware River, near present-day Phil- it too difficult to build a single canal adelphia, and Lancaster. It extended between the two cities. The solution The First Routes from Lancaster to the Susquehanna was a system that used railroads The earliest transportation routes River at Columbia. In 1791, the Penn- where canal construction was not through Pennsylvania were Native sylvania State Legislature ordered possible. In 1826, the Pennsylvania American trails. The Susquehannock the route to be upgraded to a formal Legislature approved an initiative and other tribes in the region had turnpike. By 1795, the Philadelphia dubbed the “Main Line of Public trails that tended to be located on dry, and Lancaster Turnpike was complete Works” to create a cross-state route level ground, often along river terrac- with crushed stone paving. It provid- using canals and railroads. Construc- es above the floodplain. These routes ed a much-needed route between tion of the Main Line of Public Works were so well-placed that European the two cities, smaller villages, and was completed in 1834. Passengers settlers found little need to change agricultural centers in the region. could ride the Philadelphia and them. The settlers used and improved The Lancaster, Elizabethtown, and Columbia Railroad (P&C) between these trails over time, developing Middletown Turnpike Company con- Philadelphia and Columbia, near Lan- them into bridle paths suitable for structed the Harrisburg Pike in the caster. West of Columbia, freight and travel on horseback and, later, wagon late 1700s. The company’s goal was to passengers transferred from rail cars trails, roads, and turnpikes. The routes build a private turnpike between Lan- to canal boats and back three times transported both goods and people caster and Middletown (south of Har- before reaching Pittsburgh. The jour- by foot, horseback, wagon, and car- risburg) by developing the existing ney was long, slow, and complicated. riage. These roads created a network trail between the two cities. Travelers, In winter the canals froze, rendering that provided opportunities for trade businesses, and villages benefited the western portions of the network among small villages and larger cities. from their connection to the Philadel- useless. A Native American trail between phia and Lancaster Turnpike, which To improve connections within the Lancaster and Harrisburg was one of completed the connection between region, and to better compete with the earliest routes through the area Philadelphia and Harrisburg. the success of New York’s Erie Canal that would become Mount Joy—in Although turnpike travel was an (opened in 1825), Pennsylvania need- fact the trail ultimately became improvement over the earlier trails, ed a swift and reliable system across Mount Joy’s Main Street. it was crowded, slow, and rugged. In the state. An all-rail route across the an effort to speed up transportation state would provide faster transpor- throughout the state the Common- tation without the burden of canal wealth of Pennsylvania planned a navigation. Allegheny Western Division Portage Philadelphia & LEGEND: Canal Railroad Eastern Division Canal Columbia Railroad MAIN LINE OF PUBLIC WORKS RAILS ! ! CANALS PITTSBURGH ! HOLIDAYSBURG MOUNT JOY HARRISBURG! MOUNT JOY JOHNSTOWN ^ CITIES AND ! ! STOPS COLUMBIA PHILADELPHIA Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc. Thompson, Johnson, Mirmiran & p The Main Line of Public Works connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The canal-and-rail route was constructed between 1826 and 1834. Freight and passengers had to transfer between rail cars and canal boats three times to cross the state, and frozen canals halted winter traffic. 2 HARRISBURG PORTSMOUTH (NOW MIDDLETOWN) ELIZABETHTOWN MOUNT JOY LEGEND t The Harrisburg, Portsmouth, ^ Mount Joy LANCASTER ! Station Stops Mount Joy & Lancaster Railroad between HPMJ&L Railroad Route Lancaster and Harrisburg through Mount Complete by 1836 Complete by 1838 Joy was completed in two segments, fully Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc. Thompson, Johnson, Mirmiran & opening in 1838. Railroad Advancement and Influence in Mount Joy While the Pennsylvania State Legisla- it took another two years to complete possible to connect to Baltimore via ture focused on building a statewide the line between Mount Joy and Har- the Western Maryland Railroad. The all-rail network, smaller private en- risburg. The segment between Mount three lines together effectively linked terprises worked to link towns with Joy and Portsmouth passed through the Mount Joy region by rail to Phila- larger urban centers throughout particularly difficult terrain. HPMJ&L delphia, Harrisburg, and Baltimore. the state. Cross-state transportation had to excavate deep cuts, construct was vital for statewide commerce, high bridges, and bore a tunnel The HPMJ&L Station but local connections were equally through Red Hill in Elizabethtown. The first railroad station to serve important to small villages and urban The 36-mile rail line cost $850,000, or passengers at Mount Joy was the Ex- centers. One such private enterprise $23,611 per mile, including the cost change Hotel, located at the corner of was the Harrisburg, Portsmouth, of buildings and locomotives—more East Main and North Barbara streets. Mount Joy, and Lancaster Railroad than $23 million in 2020 dollars. When Jacob Rohrer constructed the hotel (HPMJ&L). It set the stage for all future it opened in 1838, the line was a sin- in the early 1800s by building a large rail travel through Mount Joy with the gle set of tracks between Lancaster frame addition to a small brick tavern first rail line through town, cementing and Harrisburg. that Alexander Campbell had estab- Mount Joy’s status as a rail stop. Although Lancaster was the lished in 1768 along the Harrisburg HPMJ&L’s eastern terminus, the rail- Pike. The Harrisburg, Portsmouth, road provided a connection to the In the early days of railroading, it Mount Joy & Lancaster Railroad Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad was common for existing hotels and (1832-1848) (part of the Main Line of Public Works), taverns to serve as stations. The build- The HPMJ&L received its charter in thus allowing passengers and goods ings were along well-traveled routes 1832. Its purpose was to construct a to travel via rail the entire distance and were readily equipped to provide new railroad to provide freight and between Harrisburg and Philadel- the necessary amenities for passen- passenger service between Lancaster phia. The Cumberland Valley Railroad gers and crew. The Exchange Hotel