A new historical marker acknowledging the Ulster and Delaware Railroad was unveiled at The Depot Restaurant and Tavern in Oneonta, Friday, July 10.
“This marker commemorates the Ulster and Delaware train depot, the largest and final terminus station on the U&D line, which was in service from 1900 to 1954,” Marcela Micucci, the executive director of the Greater Oneonta Historical Society, said in remarks to about 20 event attendees.
The marker was funded with a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and installed by city of Oneonta Department of Public Works employees, Micucci said.
In its heyday, the U&D was one of many railroads serving upstate New York communities. The depot was the terminus, or end point, for a line that began in Kingston
Bahnu Gaur, GOHS’s visitor services supervisor, said after the unveiling that freight train traffic continued through 1965. Excursion trains for passengers were offered until 1971, he said, when construction of Interstate 88 conflicted with the railway.
If driving on the highway today, Gaur said, drivers can still see “a trestle that goes over part of the waterway that was the railroad trestle for the Ulster and Delaware.”
Gaur said the last continuous passenger train service to serve Oneonta was from the Delaware and Hudson Railway, which stopped serving the area in January 1963.
“I am huge on railroad history,” Gaur said.
The depot became the restaurant in 1972. Judy Hurlburt, the owner of The Depot Restaurant and Tavern, said it was exciting to have the marker.
The restaurant’s theme has drawn heavily from its history. Black and white photos of the trains and people that once filled the property hang above booths, and window curtains feature train illustrations.
Hurlburt said much of the building remains original, including floors and ceilings.
“Everyday there is someone” coming to visit out of interest in the train history, she said. “It got so frequent we made an info sheet.”
She added that people have pointed to pictured railroad workers and said they are their grandparents or other ancestors.
Other marker unveilings this year
GOHS unveiled a marker at Riverside Cemetery June 30 and has additional events planned for other new markers.
The Oneonta fairgrounds will receive a marker acknowledging the Central New York Fair from 1873 to 1927. The event, which will include GOHS Librarian Wayne Wright, is scheduled for the top of Fair Street near Belmont Circle at 11 a.m. Aug. 22. The marker is funded by the Future for Oneonta Foundation and Wright.
Old Main at SUNY Oneonta will have its own historical marker unveiling during Founder’s Week as the summer comes to an end. Joined by SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle, university staff and the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association, the marker unveiling will commemorate the building which was the original site of the university. The building was constructed in 1889 and razed in 1977.
The event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Sept. 4. at Old Main on the SUNY Oneonta campus. The marker will be placed where the original steps to Old Main still sit near the intersection of Maple Street and State Street. The marker is funded by the alumni association.
To learn more about GOHS, visit oneontahistory.org.