Pequannock Historic District Commission
Pompton Plains Railroad Station
The Blue Tour
Saturday, May 6, 2023
12pm to 5pm
Pequannock Historic District Commission
Pompton Plains Railroad Station
Event Information
- SPECIAL EXHIBIT: Paintings by:
- Jasper Francis Cropsey – “Pompton Plains, 1868” (reproduction)
- Julian Walbridge Rix – “Pompton River” (reproduction)
- Warren Kimble (two early originals)
- C. E. Baker “Reynold’s Pond Dam” (original)
- A sampling of original work by contemporary resident artists: Bea Card Kettlewood, Joseph Phelan and John Wispelwey
- Parking is available on site in our small lot. Street parking available along Evans Place, and adjacent to the new Pompton Valley Pedestrian/Bicycle Path.
Pompton Plains Station, home to the Pequannock Township Museum, was erected in 1877 by the Montclair and Greenwood Lake Railway as a replacement for an earlier structure built when passenger service began in 1872. After closing in 1966, the station remained in private hands until 2006 when it was purchased by Pequannock Township with Morris County and Township Open Space funds, as well as, funds from the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust. It was listed on the NJ and National Registers of Historic Places in 2008 and was restored to its “Turn of the 20th Century” appearance in 2010.
The building’s simple wood construction is characterized by its late 19th Century American“Stick style” architecture, with its notable exterior embellishments being the distinctive “Dutch cap” trim over each window and door and its decoratively patterned slate roof. The museum supports an extensive collection of photographs and artifacts illustrating the Township’s 300 years of recorded history. Featured is a collection of over two dozen models of historic buildings, as well as, exhibits about Civil War veteran, Medal of Honor recipient, station agent and prior owner of the nearby Martin Berry House, James R. Evans. Other exhibits cover the history of the station, and the pioneering 1940’s rocket engine factory Reaction Motors. Plans for 2023 construction, which will include restoration of the decorative 19th century slate roof and chimney, will be on display.
