GOUVERNEUR, New York (WWNY) – “Before you know, cars got more prevalent and everything else, this was how people got to Watertown, got north. It’s part of our culture. It’s part of our history.”
Gouverneur Town Supervisor David Spilman Jr. and Village Mayor Ron McDougall are putting together a plan to save a piece of history: the old Gouverneur train station.
“Recently, there’s been some problems here, issues. You know, which is not unusual for the community or an area like this and CSX decided to bring in a wrecking ball,” said McDougall.
Built in 1919, the station connected people to the rest of New York through the New York Central Railroad before the station closed in the 1960′s. Today, the station is home to a CSX Repeater that tracks train traffic as far as Montreal.
Now, Town Board and Village Board members of Gouverneur are discussing plans to move the entire station itself to a new location.
A possible location is in the village at the Gouverneur / St. Lawrence County fairgrounds.
Moving it could cost $700 thousand and the leaders need funding.
“Private funding, donations, we’re right in the infancy stage of it. We have reached CSX. I have reached out to them. They are offering us a lease for a year to be able to help find funding, which I thought was nice of them. It was slated for demolition this fall,” said Spilman.
Both Spilman and McDougall hope state officials can help, too.
Saving a part of history, to preserve the culture of what rail once was in the Gouverneur community.
Copyright 2023 WWNY. All rights reserved.
