A HISTORIC JOURNEY
Depot
Station
570 Depot Street
Our trek begins in the parking lot of r . k . Miles on Depot Street . As you stand in the lot and look toward the long green building to the right , you will see the former site of the Manchester Depot train station . Although the track was walled off after passenger services ceased in the 1950s , the Manchester Depot train station once served as a bustling commerce and transit hub .
The opening of the railroad station in 1852 signaled the dawn of a new era of commercial prosperity for Manchester . At the time , the banks of the western branch of the Battenkill River ( which runs through the center of Manchester ) were lined with factories and lumber mills . Nearby iron mines and marble quarries , such as the Danby Quarry , produced large quantities of materials that were in incredibly high demand . In the advent of the construction of the rail line , a vast amount of marble was shipped down to New York City from the Southern Vermont quarries . The marble was used in the construction of many buildings , including the New York Public Library .
In the years that followed , the “ Manchester and the Mountains ” summer colony was born in the latter half of the 19th century . Wellheeled vacationers began to take full advantage of the rail service that transported passengers from New York City to Southern Vermont , including Robert Todd Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln , the son and wife of U . S . President Abraham Lincoln . Travelers would arrive in lavishlyoutfitted train cars with bags full of trendy and posh summer clothes and would flock to local inns and hotels , such as the Equinox House . Today , the station is still mostly intact , although its structure has been changed . Next to the walled-off track , the ticket window remains , as well as the “ Manchester ” sign that hangs above the track .
Directly to the right of the station , you will see the building that currently houses r . k . Miles ’ corporate offices . This structure once served as the site of the marble and granite works of William H . Fullerton , which was constructed in 1867 . It was here that Fullerton loaded thousands of marble memorials onto transport trains , which were shipped to cemeteries all around the country in the years immediately following the Civil War . Fullerton ’ s exquisite craftsmanship can also be seen at the Soldiers Memorial , which stands in front of the Congregational Church in Manchester .
78 manchester life | manchesterlifemagazine . com