[2] Exhibits at the park, which is located in a former railyard, tell the story of the creation of the Hoosac Tunnel.

With the advent of the railroad in the late 1820s, proposals were developed for rail connections to other parts of Massachusetts and eastern New York.

Work on the Hoosac Tunnel began in the 1850s, but would not be completed until the 1870s; its construction alone provided an employment boom to North Adams.

The focus of activity moved around the turn of the century across the Hoosic River to the Union Depot, while this rail yard continued to serve as a freight-handling and storage area.

[4] In the 1980s, preservations restored the surviving properties and adapted some of them for use as a state park and museum.