Package Store

Colchester, CT

This package store is located right next to the antique shop featured in yesterday's blog post.  It's obvious by looking at these two buildings side by side that they once served  a far different purpose.  Some hints to the previous lives of these buildings can be seen in the photo below.  

Together these buildings made up the end of the line for a railroad spur that connected the town of Colchester to the Airline Railroad.  The package store was once  a passenger station, while the neighboring antique store was once a freight depot.  If you look closely to the left of the street light post, you can see the switching signal still there. The Airline Railroad was built in 1873 as the shortest route between New York and Boston and has fascinating history the details of which I'll leave for another time.   In 1875, the town of Colchester paid $25,000 to lay track from the town to connect to the Airline Railroad, and for over 80 years passengers and freight were carried down this spur to these twin depots.   Today the old Airline Railroad is now a linear state park trail.