Old postcard views of the Milton on Hudson station

I don’t find myself on the west side of the Hudson all that often, but back in October I went to Newburgh for my tour of Bannerman Castle, and to Highland for the Walkway Over the Hudson. However, there was one place that I also visited that day which I’ve failed to post pictures of – until now. I’m not very familiar with the West Shore Railroad, but it is my understanding that the Milton on Hudson station, built in 1883, is one of the two extant passenger stations. My discovery of the place was purely by accident… driving down the street my friend saw a sign for a “Historical Train Station” and we decided to go check it out. It was also a coincidence that people were there working on the station the day we happened to stumble upon it. Volunteer and Friend of the Milton on Hudson Train Station Pat Quick saw me taking photos on the outside and asked me if I wanted to see the inside. He graciously took the time to show my friend and I the inside of both the passenger and freight portions of the station. You’ll note that in my photos of the inside of the passenger area, the floor is very shiny – the floors were completed earlier in the day and had not yet dried.

  
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
  
 

The Milton on Hudson station is split into two portions, one that dealt with freight, and the other side for passengers. Passenger service at the station continued up until the early 1950’s. Although the building had a long life as a rail station, it began a new life in the late 1960’s as a winery. The Kedem Winery operated out of the old station, selling wine and even holding wine tastings. By the late 1990’s the site no longer suited Kedem, and the owner donated the station to the town.

A lot of dedicated people have been working on restoring the 125+ year old Milton-on-Hudson station, and as I procrastinated on posting these photos, a few of them are now a bit out of date. New signs and light fixtures were installed after my visit, visible from the before and after shot below, which comes from the Friends of the Milton on Hudson Train Station Facebook page. The restoration of the station continues – if you happen to have any extra money lying around, as much as I’d love for you to give it to me, donating towards the restoration is a far more worthy cause. The restored station will serve as a community building, and the grounds will be a riverfront park – and I have a feeling that it will be gorgeous, thanks to the efforts of many hard-working volunteers.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Milton station, I suggest you check out this article, which has several old pictures and more postcard views.