Former Washington County Railroad Train Depot in Maine
Machias Railroad Station, Machias Maine
Constructed in 1898 by Jonesboro contractor Howard Varney, the Machias Railroad Station is a modest wooden frame building that stands on its original trackside location along Route 1. It is one of only five known extant station buildings erected by the Washington County Railroad along its 100 plus mile route from Calais to Washington Junction in Ellsworth.
Although it was not the first railroad developed in Maine's expansive easternmost region, the Washington County Railroad was certainly the most ambitious. Incorporated on July 26th, 1894, and chartered by the State Legislature the following year, the company signed its first building contract and commenced construction late in 1895. A variety of problems delayed any substantial progress on the line until 1897 when new financing was arranged. From that point until the railroad officially opened in December of 1898, work was carried out at a feverish pace. The first through train was operated on January 2nd, 1899.
Despite the high expectations of profitability by the railroad's progenitors and owners, it failed to generate sufficient income to pay its heavy debts. As a result, in 1903 the line was auctioned, subsequently reorganized as the Washington County Railway Company, and leased to the Maine Central Railroad in 1904. In 1911 the railroad was fully absorbed into the Maine Central system. Passenger service was discontinued in late 1957 and the line was abandoned in 1985.
The station in Machias is one of twenty-four station buildings that were erected by the Washington County Railroad in 1898. With at most a handful of exceptions, including the existing two-story brick building in Calais that also served as the company headquarters, the stations were patterned on a single design. Covered by gable roofs whose expansive eaves were supported by pronounced bracing, the stations were sheathed in weatherboards and featured wainscotting around four sides as well as projecting ticket booths. They were further distinguished by the double slope of the roof on the trackside, the lower slope of which was shallower and carried out over the platform where it was supported by free-standing posts or elongated braces. Subsequent alterations to the Machias example, including an addition in 1910 and conversion to a freight depot in 1957, have resulted in the loss of some of this detail. Chief among these is the removal of the platform shelter.
Only five Washington County Railroad stations survive. They are located in Addison, Calais, Cherryfield, Columbia Falls, and Machias. Only two of these buildings survive on their original sites, however. The former Columbia station is believed to have been moved to Addison and converted to a private residence; the Cherryfield station was moved some distance to a site near the village center; and the Columbia Falls station has also been moved. The future of the Calais building is unknown, whereas the present owner of the Machias station will shortly be transferring the property to the local historical society which plans to rehabilitate it on site.
Building Description
The Machias Railroad Station is a one-story, rectangular frame building sheathed in weatherboards and covered by a gable roof with broad overhanging eaves. Among its distinctive features are the chamfered braces that support the roof overhang, a projecting ticket booth on the east side, and a signal switch pole with an intact mechanism. Two brick flues punctuate the roof.
The north, trackside elevation has an asymmetrical fenestration pattern consisting of two large track-mounted freight doors one of which is located at grade level near the northeastern corner and the other about midway on the facade, but elevated about two feet to facilitate off-loading from freight cars. These two doors were added in 1957 when the building's passenger use was converted to freight handling. However, historic photographs of the station show that a taller, but somewhat narrower opening did exist originally at the northeast corner. Two windows along this side were also eliminated during the 1957 remodeling. The existing entry door which is adjacent to the rectangular ticket bay appears to be original as are the four-over-one windows in the bay. An additional architectural feature visible on this elevation (as well as the others) is the vertical tongue-and-groove wainscotting that extends from the water table molding to a point about three feet up the wall surface.
There are two windows centrally located on the west gable end. The larger of the two is a four-over-one positioned just above the wainscot whereas the other is a single-pane unit in the gable peak. Three openings punctuate the west side. One is a small rectangular bathroom window near the southwest corner, the second is a four-over-one, and the third is a freight door that lies opposite the central one on the north elevation. There are a trio of windows in the east end including a pair of four-over-ones and a gable window.
On the interior, a considerable amount of the original fabric survives including molded window and door surrounds in the west end. During the 1957 remodeling a raised platform was inserted in the area which was originally the passenger waiting room, but the tongue-and-groove boards that covered the walls and ceiling were not changed. Likewise, the original baggage area in the south end is largely intact.
Documentary plans obtained from the owner of the Maine Central Railroad Company include one dated 1910 showing a proposed addition to the west end. This is the area used as the office/ticket area and the bathroom. Historic photographs do in fact indicate that the present rectangular projection differs from the original three-sided feature.
View from west (1992)
View from east (1992)
