Former Boston & Maine Railroad Train Station in NH

Newington Railroad Depot, Newington New Hampshire

Date added: March 11, 2024 Categories:

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The Newington Depot/Toll House in Newington, New Hampshire was built in 1873 as part of the construction of the Portsmouth and Dover Railroad. It is a relatively rare property type, combining the functions of railroad station, toll house and residence for the stationmaster/bridge tender/toll taker. Associated transportation-related structures including the bridge and railroad tracks are no longer extent.

The crossing between Bloody Point and Dover Point was the location of one of the area's earliest ferry crossings, dating back to about 1640. During the winter of 1873-1874 the Dover and Portsmouth Railroad was completed on this site and included the construction of the Portsmouth and Dover Railroad Bridge, a dual-purpose toll bridge featuring two lanes, one for a rail line and the other for a carriage road. The Newington Depot/Toll House was constructed at the same time. The Newington Depot/Toll House ceased serving a transportation-related purpose in 1934 when the General Sullivan Bridge was completed between Bloody Point in Newington and Dover Point in Dover and the Boston and Maine Railroad abandoned the Portsmouth and Dover Line.

A method of crossing Great Bay between Newington and Dover/Durham has been of paramount importance to the region's transportation network and economic development for over 350 years. The distance between Bloody Point in Newington and Hilton Point in Dover is the shortest in the Piscataqua River network and thus has always been of particular interest. As early as 1640 Thomas Trickey operated a ferry from Bloody Point in Newington. In 1705 it was purchased by John Knight who continued the service to Dover and Eliot, Maine. In 1794 the Piscataqua Bridge was constructed across Little Bay, spanning from Fox Point in Newington, across Rock and Goat Islands to Meader's Point in Durham. Almost a half mile in length, the bridge was considered an engineering marvel for its day and played a pivotal role in opening trade between Portsmouth and interior New Hampshire. The bridge was irreparably damaged by ice in February 1855 and was not repaired or replaced, making regional commerce dependent once again on ferry and gundalow traffic.

The Portsmouth and Dover Railroad Company was chartered in 1866 to provide a link between the eastern and western divisions of the Boston and Maine Railroad and also included the means to cross Great Bay. Portsmouth brewer Frank Jones was president of the Portsmouth and Dover and its primary promoter and financier. The 10.88 mile-long railroad greatly facilitated the shipment of grain to Jones' brewery. The rail line was completed during the winter of 1873-4 and included the construction of a 1,700-foot, $100,000 combination railroad/vehicular toll bridge linking Bloody Point to Dover Point. One land served the rail line and the other carriage road. The section near the Newington end consisted of a Howe truss timber and iron-covered bridge 193' long. The rest of the bridge was of traditional pile and trestle construction and also included a 143' swing section, north of the center of the bridge, that opened with a hand-operated windlass and provided headroom for seagoing vessels.

Along with the bridge, a depot/toll house/stationmaster's house was constructed on the Newington approach. In 1874 the tolls collected were three cents for pedestrians, ten cents per horse and rider, fifteen cents per horse and carriage, and one cent for each sheep or swine. The toll collector also managed the depot and operated the swing section of the bridge to allow boat traffic to pass through.

From 1874 to 1884 the Portsmouth and Dover Railroad was leased to the Eastern Railroad. In 1884 the line became part of the Boston & Maine Eastern Division. In the early 20^th Century the line ran two trains daily, one in the morning from Dover to Portsmouth and another in the evening back to Dover.

As delineated in 1915 Boston & Maine valuation records, the two-story depot/residence included a 10' x 20' waiting room on the north end of the first floor and a small ticket office facing the tracks. The remainder of the first floor included a parlor and dining room in the south end of the main house with a kitchen and shed in the wing. The second story was divided into four chambers; the attic floor was left unfinished. A cistern was located in the cellar of the wing. A wooden platform ran the length of the long trackside elevation.

As was typical the station agents changed frequently. The earliest known station agent/bridge tender/toll collector was James Drew who served from at least 1880 until 1905. Initially, he served nearby but by 1900 he was renting the residence portion of the depot/toll house. In 1900 Samuel Lunt was hired as a live-in toll collector and around 1905 Edward Graham was a station agent and resided in the depot/toll house. He was still in the position in the 1910s but was later replaced by Brian Green. In the early 20^th century activity at the depot attracted other commercial uses to the vicinity including a small soda fountain/restaurant and the Curtis & Batchelder Filling Station. During this period the bridge carried the East Side Trunk Line leading from the Seacoast to the Mountains. Later known as the White Mountain Highway and Route 16, this was one of the first three north-south highways established by the newly created State Highway Department. The others were the West Side Road (later Dartmouth College Highway or Route 10) in the western part of the state and the Daniel Webster Highway (Route 3) in central New Hampshire.

The railroad/vehicular bridge sustained significant damage from ice in the spring of 1918 and repairs were completed in three months. Although it was still usable, discussions began on the merits of a new bridge. The General Sullivan Bridge was completed in 1934 on a different alignment, from Bloody Point in Newington to Dover Point. Also in 1934 the Interstate Commerce Commission gave the Boston and Maine Railroad permission to abandon the Portsmouth and Dover line with instructions to leave the tracks in place until the existing Portsmouth and Dover Bridge could be removed. The Newington Depot/Toll House ceased serving a rail-related purpose and was occupied strictly as a residence. In 1937 the State of New Hampshire acquired the land associated with the depot/toll house. The tracks were removed about 1940.

Elmer Brooks occupied the former depot/toll house from the 1930s until his death in 1971. He leased the building from the State of New Hampshire and according to directories, was employed as a farmer, general laborer and lobster fisherman. In 1972 the State of New Hampshire Governor and Council authorized a 20-year lease of 3.86 acres of land including the depot/toll house to the Town of Newington for $1.00 for use as a day-time recreational area. These plans were never fulfilled and over the years the area became a nuisance and a liability to both the State and Town. In 1992 the Town of Newington allowed the lease to expire on the property. Today, the building is still owned by the State of New Hampshire and remains vacant.

Few depot/residential structures survive today in New Hampshire in a relatively unaltered condition. The structures at Auburn and Atkinson are no longer extant. The Northfield and Bethlehem structures are privately owned. The simpler, gable-roofed depots at Bow Junction, Melvin, Boscawen, and Emerson have also been renovated for residential use. The depot at East Kingston stands out as a restored structure and is now owned by the town. The Newington depot is the least changed of all.

Building Description

The Newington Depot/Toll House is a 2½-story, 5 x 2-bay, side-gabled structure measuring 32' 6" x 20' 5" with a single-story, 20' x 10' 6" kitchen wing projecting from its south end. As constructed in 1873, the building was oriented so that its long west elevation faced the road while the northeast side fronted the railroad tracks. Today, the rails are no longer extant. Because the structure combined depot and residential uses, it is more residential in character than typical late 19th-century depots. Concessions to the railroad use include the multiple entrances, interior waiting room and ticket office, and the wooden platform that spanned the entire trackside elevation. The depot/toll house is situated on a pivotal point of land in the Seacoast area that was a logical site for the crossing of Little Bay and the Piscataqua River. The nominated property also includes the site of the southern abutment of the combination road and railroad bridge which was built between Newington and Dover Point in 1873.

Set on a brick foundation, the building is of balloon frame construction, clad in wood clapboards with simple corner boards. The steeply-pitched, asphalt-shingled, gable roof displays projecting boxed eaves which are without returns. Two brick chimneys with corbelled caps rise from the ridge. All of the window openings have been covered with plywood but interior inspection reveals original two-over-two, double-hung sash set in plain enframements. At one time louvered blinds flanked the window openings. There are two entrances on the west facade, one of which is covered with plywood. The off center, main entry to the living quarters contains a four-panel door topped by a transom and partial entablature. A simpler entrance in the northernmost bay of the facade accessed the depot waiting room. It now contains a modern six-panel door and is the only entrance that is currently not covered with plywood. Another entrance in the northernmost bay of the rear (east) elevation leads from the waiting room to the tracks. Two additional doorways are located on the long elevations of the kitchen wing. Two small, elevated windows punctuate the south end of the wing and a tall, brick chimney with a pointed open cap rises from the ridge of the wing.

The interior of the building features simple finishes. The walls of the waiting room are sheathed in vertical beadboard while those in the main house are plastered. Nearly all of the doors are of a four-panel configuration. The staircase leading upstairs has turned newel posts topped by a ball and turned balusters. As mentioned previously, the north end of the building consists of a 10' x 20' waiting room. There is a small (5' 8" x 6' 2") ticket office to the rear of the front staircase/hallway. The remainder of the first floor is divided into a front parlor with a dining room with a large corner closet to the rear. A doorway on the east wall of the dining room accesses the kitchen wing. The floor of the wing has been removed but there is still a horizontal beadboard partition separating the kitchen from the shed, resting on a brick pier. A four-panel door in the south end of the partition led to a pantry set above a lower-level cistern while a vertical board door to the north accessed the shed. The second floor of the structure is divided into four chambers. There are two small rooms on the north end, separated by closets and situated above the lower-level waiting room. The bedrooms on the south end are larger and are also fitted with closets located in the central dividing wall.

The depot/toll house is set on 3.87 acres of land bounded on the north by Little Bay and located east of the Spaulding Turnpike and the bridge over Little Bay. Passing in front of the structure, Bloody Point Road (formerly Old Dover Road) is now a dirt road. Other than the clearing immediately around the structure, the remaining acreage is largely wooded. The depot/toll house is located approximately 200 feet from Bloody Point which juts out into Little Bay. The point of land to the northwest of the depot/toll house was a logical location for a crossing at the mouth of Great Bay and the Piscataqua River, the obvious advantage being the ability to construct a shorter bridge span than at some other sites. The land includes the site of the southern abutment of the combination road and railroad bridge which was constructed by the Portsmouth and Dover Railroad between Newington and Dover Point in 1873. The bridge ceased to be used with the completion of the General Sullivan Bridge in 1934 and was subsequently demolished. A number of large stones are all that remain to mark the location of the former abutment.