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West Chazy Railroad Station: Historical Marker

Updated: Jun 25


Historic Marker erected by the Chazy Friends of the Chazy Public Library
Historic Marker erected by the Chazy Friends of the Chazy Public Library

Railroads were an incredibly important development for rural America. Although there were canals for farmers to transport their goods, canals had to close in the wintertime whereas the railroad could run year-round. Along with this, the railroad was much faster than canals, opening up new markets for produce and other perishable goods. Additionally, most railroads ran on wood fuel at first therefore, farmers sold wood to the railroad, opening up a new market for rural communities to utilize.

The second railroad station in Chazy was built in West Chazy in 1852. This station started out as just a box car, but a new, more permanent station was built and painted by November 1, 1876. It was also at this time that the station's name changed from the Chazy station to the West Chazy station.

Passengers at the turn of the century boarding trains in Chazy
Passengers at the turn of the century boarding trains in Chazy

Talk about constructing a Great Northern Railroad began twenty years before the construction of the West Chazy railroad station. The dream was finally realized when the Plattsburgh-Montreal Railroad was incorporated on March 20, 1850. Ground then broke the following year on July 16, 1851. The entire line was 23 miles and ran through Beekmantown, West Chazy, Sciota and ending in Mooers where the line entered Canada to traveled 40 miles to Montreal. Developers of the railroad were confident in its success, having 3 engines, 2 passenger cars, and 24 freight cars for the railroad when it first began operation.

The railroad line continued to operate until business began to slow down around 1924. The historical marker was erected by the Chazy Friends of the Chazy Public Library in 1985.

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