Shawmont Station - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
N 40° 02.644 W 075° 14.998
18T E 478676 N 4432678
It has recently been discovered that Shawmont Station is the oldest train station in the United States.
Waymark Code: WM6EY2
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 05/23/2009
Views: 12
Professional studies were conducted in early 2008 and confirmed that this 'Greek Revival' style station building dates to 1834. (The B&O’s Ellicott City station near Baltimore is an older structure but was originally not a passenger station – see Waymark
WM5NFC. Perhaps not by coincidence, it is located on the first railroad constructed in Philadelphia – the Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad. The tracks of this railroad are still in service today and carry SEPTA commuter trains between center city Philadelphia and Norristown. The station was closed in the 1990s although the building still houses tenants. While visiting this station, you may want to explore the Shawmont Pumping Station and the Manayunk Canal Towpath, both of which are nearby. The Manayunk Canal Towpath, an important link in the Schuylkill River Trail, connects center city Philadelphia to Valley Forge National Historical Park. The Shawmont Pumping Station, part of the industrial heritage of Philadelphia, is planned for demolition.
A discussion of Shawmont Station (and its preservation) and the Shawmont Pumping Station nearby is found on
railroad.net. Additional photographs of the station can be found on
Flickr. The commuter rail train that passes by this station is the
SEPTA R-6 Norristown.
Hidden City Philadelphia has a good article about the station.