In 1869, due to the efforts of a prominent Branchville resident, William H. Bell, the Sussex Railroad was completed, ending in Branchville borough. The line, finished by Bell himself, was for a time referred to as the "Branchville Railroad." The first passenger train arrived on July 3, 1869.
Among the facilities located on this site, were the Branchville Station, Engine House, Livestock Chute, Water Tower, and a 57-foot diameter turntable. This turntable was used to turn locomotives, by hand, for their return trip to points east. This plaque is attached to the stone that formed part of the foundation of that turntable.
The Sussex Railroad became part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, and, in turn, part of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad in 1960. Several years later, due to the decline of eastern railroading, the Erie-Lackawanna abandoned the line from Branchville to Andover, New Jersey.
The last passenger train left this site on July 10, 1966.
The station, moved to an adjacent site for restoration, was destroyed by a winter storm in 1994.
We, the citizens of Branchville, New Jersey, dedicate this monument on September 26, 1998, in the 100th year of our incorporation.
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