Railroads in Syracuse, New York

At that time, Auburn, New York was a larger village than Syracuse therefore its name was mentioned first in the company title.

On June 4, 1839, the first locomotive owned by the line, the "Syracuse," traveled the wooden rails and pulled the first train by steam.

The depot of the Auburn road was not known for either beauty or finish, presenting a "striking contrast to its majestic neighbor across the street.

Originally, a mill pond on the site of the present State Armory in West Jefferson Street, blocked the right of way.

It was not until a trestle was built across the pond, that passengers were no longer "forced to find other means of getting into the village of Syracuse from a temporary station at Geddes.

[1] From 1839 on, Syracuse life for many years revolved around Vanderbilt Square, the magnet was the railroad station, and the hostelries that grew up around it.

Daniel Webster, General Winfield Scott, Louis Kossuth, John Brown, Stephen A. Douglas, and other notables were greeted there.

[1] Daniel Elliott was the architect and builder of the Syracuse and Utica Railroad depot which was a "striking exhibition of architectural skill and beauty."

Noted characters were frequently received there including Martin Van Buren, Henry Clay and Gerrit Smith.

At first, the building served its purpose very well, but soon became too cramped for convenience and the offices were "one by one removed to other quarters near by," where they remained until a new depot was constructed on Franklin Street.

Travelers caught "intimate glimpses" of Syracuse, its people, stores and houses as the trains slowed on their way through town.

[3] On February 18, 1861, Abraham Lincoln, on the way to his inauguration, bowed from a coach platform and on April 26, 1865, his funeral train stopped for 30 minutes.

[1] On January 31, 1843, the seven railroad companies operating along the route met in Albany and agreed to run two "through" trains daily between the Hudson River and Lake Erie terminals.

[1] Some consolidation of these roads had been effected by April 2, 1853, when the New York State Legislature passed an act authorizing the merger of any or all the ten railroads organized on routes between the Hudson River region and the Great Lakes.