Rocky Point was a station on the Wading River Extension on the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. This abandoned station was just east of Broadway between King Road & Prince Road, along what is now access for Long Island Power Authority power lines.

Rocky Point
The former Thurber Lumber yard that occupied the site of the former station until 2016.
General information
LocationBroadway and Prince Road
Rocky Point, New York
Coordinates40°56′59″N 72°55′22″W / 40.949660°N 72.922666°W / 40.949660; -72.922666
Line(s)Wading River Branch
History
OpenedJune 27, 1895[1][2]
Closed1938
ElectrifiedNo
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road
Following station
Miller Place
toward Hicksville
Wading River Branch Shoreham

History

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Rocky Point station was originally built in 1895 during the extension of the Port Jefferson Branch to Wading River,[2] which was once slated to continue eastward and rejoin the Main Line at either Riverhead or Calverton. A station house was added in 1898 and was later expanded with canopies in 1928 to accommodate crowds of passengers during times when building lots were sold at discount prices.[3]

The line east of Port Jefferson, which included the Rocky Point station, was abandoned in 1938, and the station house was moved a short distance became a lumber yard which survived into the 21st Century.[3] The right-of-way is now owned by the Long Island Power Authority and used for power lines, but there are plans to create a rail trail for bicycling, running, and walking.[4] The Thurber Lumber Yard no longer exists.[5] After the lumber yard closed, the property was rezoned to permit multifamily development. The developer plans to construct senior citizen apartments and renovate the former station house, turning it over to Rocky Point's civic association for use as a Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) museum.[6][7]

Bibliography

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  • Allen, W.F. (1895). Travelers' Official Railway Guide for the United States, Canada and Mexico Containing Railway Time Schedules, Connections and Distances. New York, New York: The National Railway Publication Company. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

References

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  1. ^ "Wading River Branch Inspected". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 25, 1895. p. 7. Retrieved April 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ a b Allen 1895, p. 236.
  3. ^ a b Morrison, David D. (October 28, 2013). Long Island Rail Road Port Jefferson Branch. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 113. ISBN 9781439644218.
  4. ^ Rather, John (April 10, 2009). "Agreement Moves Rails-to-Trails Project Forward". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  5. ^ Barkley, Giselle (January 15, 2016). "Longtime lumber companies close doors". TBR News Media. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  6. ^ MacGowan, Carl (September 11, 2017). "Rezoning approved for Rocky Point veterans, senior housing". Newsday. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "On The Common". Landmark Properties. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021.
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