Save the Raritan River Railroad Freight Station
Raritan River Railroad Freight Station in Milltown, New Jersey
UPDATE Fall 2016:
We are in the process of applying for a grant from NJDOT and we need your help!
Simply said, we need Letters of Support from the community.
In order to be eligible for the grant we need:
“Letters of support from community organizations, citizens, all levels of Government and elected officials (other than the applicant) and any other interested party. This should include neighborhood or business associations, historical groups, and local residents.”
Would you or any organization you are affiliated with be willing to help out with a letter of support for our project?
Would other members, or local contacts, be willing to write an individual letter of support?
If you or someone you know would be willing to assist us with a Letter of Support, please email us at RRRRHS@GMail.com and I will offer a sample letter with more details.
Thank You in Advance for your support!
UPDATE Summer 2016
After many years of fundraising, we believe we now have enough to start the process to move the station! We have met with the Milltown Boro Council, and have received their backing and support to continue moving forwards!
Please read the write up of this meeting from the local Sentinel paper:
http://www.gmnews.com/2016/05/
2011
Back in 2011, some railfans, historians, as well as some former employees of the Raritan River Railroad formed the Raritan River Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Teaming up with the long established Milltown Historical Society, we are attempting to raise the funds to help move and preserve the Raritan River Railroad Freight Station, located in Milltown New Jersey.
The current owner of the Freight Station has agreed to donate the station to the town for $1. The stipulation is that we need to move it off his property. Working with the Middlesex County freeholders, we have received approval to move the station to County Open-Space property. The county property we plan to use is just across the street, and only a few hundred yards away. Still close to the railroad tracks, the location is ideal for the town to keep a historical station for years to come.
Raritan River Railroad Freight Station in Milltown, NJ - Current and Proposed Locations
In the few years since, the Milltown Historical Society, with help from the Raritan River Chapter of the NRHS (The Raritan River Rail Road Historical Society, Inc.), has raised over $17,000, but we still have a long way to go. We need between $10k-$15k just to move the station, and another $10k-$15k to build an engineered and approved foundation. And we will need many more dollars to restore the station next.
While we originally organized as a local chapter of the NRHS, we have also just organized the Raritan River Rail Road Historical Society, Inc., a 501(c)3 non profit corporation registered in the state of New Jersey.
Now that we have our official non-profit status, we are now looking for grants and donations to help move and restore the station to its former glory. (If you can help us in this matter, with information about grants, please let us know!)
Our annual fund raiser is usually held in November at the Milltown American Legion, 4 J.F.Kennedy Drive, Milltown, NJ. At this fund raiser, there will be prizes, raffles, gifts, model trains, Christmas displays, as well as historical displays and artifacts of the Raritan River Railroad. Photographs, maps, timetables, and many more artifacts from the Railroad’s best days. Former employees will be there to discuss the good ol days. I will be presenting a slide show of Raritan River history with hundreds of slides.
Please come out and visit us in November. Your $5 donation will be well received and will contribute greatly to our cause to help move the station.
If you are willing to make a bigger donation, we are selling bricks that can be permanently engraved. For a $100 donation, you can purchase a brick that can have 3 lines of text engraved on it. We plan to put the brick in or near the station after it is moved. Possibly in the foundation, or in a walkway. Make your mark on history and buy s brick for this noble cause.
If you are interested in just helping out in other ways, or possibly in joining the Raritan River Chapter NRHS (Raritan River Rail Road Historical Society, Inc.), please contact us at RRRRHS@GMail.com. We would love to hear from anyone who can help us along.
For more information about the Raritan River Rail Road Historical Society, Inc., please click this link:
Raritan River Rail Road Historical Society, Inc.