History

The Holsopple station is an important part of railroad history in Somerset County, PA because it is the last of the original B & O built combination freight/passenger stations still standing between Rockwood and Johnstown (a distance of about 45 miles.)
The Holsopple station was first built in 1890, and we believe it was added on to around 1900.  (As you’ll notice in the circa 1900 photograph, the freight room does not exist.) In July 1915, a fire destroyed the station & damaged the White Oak Milling Company’s grist mill directly across from the station. (view history) The station was rebuilt in 1916.  The B & O offered passenger & freight service from the station until the 1930’s, when it eliminated passenger service.  Freight service was stopped sometime later, and then the B & O closed the station entirely in the early 1970’s.
In 1976, restorations to the station were begun by a local citizen’s group. Around that time, the Chessie System donated the station to the community, with the mandate that the station be moved off railroad property.  Fortunately, this only required that the station be moved back about 20 feet back from the tracks.  In 1980, the citizen’s group succeeded in moving the station back onto private property donated by descendants of a Holsopple family.  A concrete block foundation was laid with labor donated by the local bricklayers’ union, and the station was moved back using jacks, I-beams, and a system of pulleys and cables powered by a one-third horsepower motor  (view PDF file).
Restoration efforts slowed, and then stopped altogether when the active members of the citizen’s group died.  In 1994, the new Holsopple Historical Building committee gained ownership of the station & restarted fundraising efforts.   In the last 10 years, our group has painted the exterior of the station; replaced the deteriorated original slate roof with a metal roof; and replaced the broken transom windows above the two front doors.
Border Grove, located directly behind the station, was graciously donated in 2003 to the Holsopple Historical Building by Roger, Richard and Ronald Fish in an effort to keep the land available for community use.   The Grove provides an ideal place to hold our organization’s Summer Festival as well as other community gatherings.