Chester Railroad Station

An official Path Through History site! Restored 1915 Erie Railroad station with photos and artifacts relating to the history of Chester and the railroad On April 24, 1834, Jeremiah Pierson, who owned and operated several mines and mills in the Ramapos, had the foresight to persuade the New York legislature to authorize the construction of the New York and Erie Railroad. Construction started at Piermont on the Hudson with the final destination point as Dunkirk on Lake Erie. This gave Pierson an advantage in distributing his products. In 1841 the first official station on the line was built here in Chester. It was an isolated structure in a wilderness landscape along the tracks that eventually became the focus for the village that grew around it. In 1915, through the efforts of Messrs. Robert Goelet and Richard Delafield, a new station was built. The 1841 station was moved to the east of the new station and used for freight. The restored 1915 station museum now houses exhibitions of local and historical interest.