Philadelphia, PA: 1826,1834 Restored/SEPTA/Reading Shawmont Station, "oldest station in America"

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Timothy Boyle posted
A 1929 view of Shawmont Station in Roxborough, believed to be the oldest passenger railroad station in the United States. The 200-year-old building was built as a home in 1826, and it was converted into a passenger train station in 1856, after it was purchased by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad Co. The station has been closed since the 1990's due to deteriorating conditions, but there are plans to restore the building and reopen it as a museum and community center.

Matthew Clark: that is where you decide to take the towpath or the road into Manyunk when biking on the Schulykill River Trail.

Frederick Monsimer: The last time I was down that way, new windows had been installed, so the restoration appears to be in progress.

John L Garcia shared
Ed Johnson shared

Street View, Jun 2016

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Shawmont station was the last station within the boundaries of city of Philadelphia on the Norristown line but was closed in 1996 due to a combination of budget cuts and lower ridership. 

It closed after over 160 years of continuous passenger year service. 

The station was built in 1834 by the Reading Company. It is the oldest passenger train station still around today in America and quite possibly the oldest own railroad building around today in the world. 

One of the best ways to access this station is along the Schuylkill Trail. It's about a 10 minute bike ride from Ivy Ridge station or by Shawmont avenue from Ridge avenue.

The future fate of this station is unknown yet there is some hope as the building is currently being renovated.

Rob Smash: This was built in 1826 as a home and became a railway station in 1834.

[A comment wondered if this was AI and refrenced the wikipedia page for the Ellicot City Station. That station has a date of 1830. So the building is older, but the station use is not "the oldest passenger train station still around today."]

Note the improvement since the above 2016 trail view.

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Secret Philadelphia posted
The historic station has been vacant since SEPTA trains stopped serving it in 1996, and now a proposal could give the building a new purpose as a museum and learning center. 
https://secretphiladelphia.co/shawmont-station-restoration-philadelphia/

Rob Antenucci: 3 year old 1.2 million $ restoration already crumbling and peeling. Someone made a lot of money on that job.

Marti Biscotti: But they won’t save the Natural History Museum

Bernie Strain shared

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