To Port Jervis I Go

By WANDA WAYFARER

Opened on February 2, 1892, it was the Delaware Division’s largest railway station for both passengers and freight. The Erie Station remains a magnificent reminder of the once-booming railway system of the early twentieth century, when, for almost 30 years, Port Jervis was a railway transportation mecca.

Named for the Erie Railroad system, which employed over 2,000 people in Port Jervis during the 1920s, the station has seen its fair share of good times and bad. After a period during which the building was subject to neglect and vandalism, an extensive restoration of the Erie Depot was undertaken starting in 1981 but did was not completed until 1997. It was a long time coming, but the result is a fitting tribute to the railroad’s glory days in the Upper Delaware River Valley.

The station is the third of the Erie Stations to be built for and in Port Jervis. The first one, built in 1847, was just a shed that allowed some shelter to railway passengers. But the railway was growing so quickly that the tiny building could not accommodate the passengers and cargo, and a second station, built in 1889, was a much larger and more useful structure. Unfortunately it was completely destroyed by fire only one year later, and the Erie railroad had to start all over again.

There is nothing modest about the third and final building. The architectural detail of the molding, accent pieces and hand-carved detail of the trim are representative of the importance that the railway played in the history of Port Jervis. The vast brick-red building still has depression-blue stained glass that give the third- and fourth-floor windows a haunting charm. Today the station’s lawns are well manicured and landscaped to invite visitors to stroll, shop and tour.

The first floor of the station is home to six businesses altogether. All the shops are health related: four doctors offices, a pharmacy and an herbal health food store. Huge windows overlook the railway in the individual offices, and the tin ceilings and narrow hallways are dated reminders of structures from the late 19th century.

During World War II, the Erie Station served as a replenishing point for the troops. When soldiers from all over the northeast passed through Port Jervis, charities such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army would give the soldiers food, water and clothing. Soldiers returning home from tours of duty all over the world would arrive via the Erie Railway and pass through the station doors—and on a sadder note, would pass through its doors on their way overseas, some never to return.

Located next door to the depot is the Erie Hotel. The Erie Hotel and the station share more than similar exterior colors. The hotel is another example of the railway prosperity that once invigorated the Port Jervis region. Built in 1894, the restaurant, bar and inn is still operating at full steam and remains busy to this day.

The back bar is an ornate, hand-carved German piece of a dark, rich mahogany color whose back reaches to the highest point of the ceiling, a fifteen-foot peak. Set amidst a backdrop of 1920s flowered wallpaper, the scene is reminiscent of a saloon from the Wild West. The restaurant’s cuisine is all-American and includes burgers, prime rib, steaks and seafood. It is open seven days a week for both breakfast and lunch. Rooms are available for overnight stays and rumor has it that a friendly spirit inhabits the inn.

Much of the world has changed drastically from the days when railroads carried the bulk of passenger and freight traffic, but the Erie Depot along with its counterpart, the Erie Hotel, have both withstood the test of time and provide the streets of Port Jervis with a distinctive reminder of long-ago beauty.