Built in 1873, it is an unusual railroad-related structure, serving as a passenger and freight depot, and as the residence of the stationmaster, who also performed the role of toll collector for the nearby bridge.

[1] The former Newington Railroad Depot is located near the tip of Bloody Point, a peninsular projection that separates New Hampshire's Great Bay from the Piscataqua River.

It is located on the west side of a former railroad alignment, and its 3.87-acre (1.57 ha) parcel includes foundational remains of a period bridge abutment.

This type of depot, integrating all of the functions and providing housing, was generally rare, and this surviving example is particularly well preserved.

[3] The bridge across the mouth of Great Bay was completed in 1874, carrying a single railroad track as well as space for carriages and pedestrians.