Stewartstown History
Planning for the Stewartstown Railroad started
shortly after the death of Anthony Stewart in 1866. Prior to the opening of the railroad,
products and supplies were moved to and from Stewartstown to York or Baltimore by horse
and wagon.
Though preliminary planning for the railroad started
in the 1870s, it was not until 1884 that formal meetings were held to discuss the
possibility of constructing a railroad to connect with the Pennsylvania Railroad at
Shrewsbury. The founders of the railroad were hopeful that a new rail line would promote
agriculture and manufacturing in the Borough.
The first stockholder’s meeting was held on
August 14, 1884 and the railroad received it’s charter from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania on September 22, 1884.
The Stewartstown Railroad celebrated its grand
opening with great fanfare on September 10, 1885. 8,000 people were in attendance at the
ribbon-cutting ceremony. The rail line to New Freedom was 7 miles long and cost $65,000 to
construct. Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia supplied the first locomotive at a
cost of $5,300.
The Stewartstown Railroad always boasted that it was
the only Short Line in the United States that was absolutely free of debt. Those who rode
it probably could have suggested ways to have spent money for its improvement, but in its
day the Stewartstown Railroad was a wonderful boon to the community.
In its heyday, the Stewartstown Railroad was running
four round trips a day to New Freedom with passenger coach and freight service. From New
Freedom freight was transferred to trains bound for Baltimore or York. Agricultural crops
shipped to Baltimore and York included wheat, buckwheat, potatoes, tobacco, hay, straw,
and orchard products.
The New Park and Fawn Grove Railroads connected to
the Stewartstown Railroad shortly after the turn of the century.
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