The Troy Cheshire R.R. Depot

When the railroad came to Cheshire County, New Hampshire, a depot was constructed in Troy in 1847.  For over one hundred years, the uses of the railroads and its depots were innumerable.  Local businesses such as Troy Blanket Mills and the Troy Granite Quarry were large contributors to the use of the railroad for delivery of their products.  Stones that were quarried in Troy were carried to Washington, D.C. by train where they were used to build the steps of the Congressional Library.

Countless travelers got off the train at the Troy Cheshire R.R. Depot to climb the Grand Monadnock Mountain.  Among them were the famous 19th century poets Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson who arrived at the depot on separate occasions to begin their day’s climb to the summit. Click Here to read the Article.

Locally, families and friends said good-byes and waved to their loved ones from the depot as they left for war.  The Troy American Legion Post #56 donated a beautiful flagpole and flag to the depot site in honor of our veterans.  On October 1, 2008, with an awesome rainbow as a backdrop, several members of Post #56 installed the pole.  For those of us who witnessed the event it was truly a beautiful and moving spectacle.  Click Here to view the Flagpole Gallery.
As a business office for passengers and freight the depot became an important center of Town activity for a century. With the rise of truck and auto traffic the railroad declined, ending passenger service in 1958. Freight service was terminated in the late 1960’s and the rail line abandoned in 1972. A local businessperson acquired the depot and converted it to an apartment dwelling while the railroad bed was taken under the supervision of the NH Department of Transportation to be maintained for recreational purposes.

The conversion to a residence served to preserve the antique structure, and upon termination of rental status the Town of Troy voted in 1998 to acquire the building for community use. Although sound, the building justified substantial restoration. Accordingly, the Town applied for cost-shared funding from the NH Department of Transportation TEA-21 enhancement program. Approval in the fall of 2002 enabled the restoration to get under way by local contractors. The substantial scope of the project required substantial equivalent funding provided by the NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). Click Here to view the LCHIP Photo Gallery.

The Troy Railroad Depot complex is recorded in the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places. Click Here to read the article.

Upon completion of the restoration the Town appointed a committee of citizens to manage the property, a group now active as the Troy Cheshire Railroad Commission. Click Here to view the Restoration Photo Gallery.