A few weekends ago, my dad and I made our way out to Western Massachusetts to see the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stonebridge. My dad was trying to get us there by memory and we ended up taking a wrong turn. This was a great wrong turn because we stumbled across the Housatonic Freight House. So we pulled off and parked so I could get some photos of this railroad building. The freight house has naturally weathered wood panels on the outside with large sliding doors.
Looking down the tracks, I saw another building that piqued my interest. Along with finding the freight depot, I found the Housatonic Passenger Depot. When doing some research online I discovered that the 1,240 square foot building is currently on the market. This multipurpose property has living space on site with a full bathroom. The last occupant used the property as a print and music studio, and this 166-year-old train depot can be yours for only $425,000.
Both buildings were constructed about 166 years ago in 1850. I wasn’t able to find any information about when the freight house was last used for the railroad, but the depot serviced its last passengers on April 30, 1971. The two structures sit on the still active “Housatonic Line” running north to south between Pittsfield, MA and Brookfield Junction, CT.
The line is served by The Housatonic Railroad Company, providing freight services to the whole line. The HRRC would like to bring back passenger services back to this historic rail line after a 45-year hiatus. Trains would operate between Pittsfield, MA and Grand Central Terminal, NY. A one-way trip would be 3 hours and 55 minutes. This is very similar to campaigns to bring back commuter rail service to other Western Massachusetts communities such as Springfield and Palmer.
Great Barrington Station
Located Just south of Housatonic Depot and Freight house is the Great Barrington Station built in 1901. Currently, this station is home to an art gallery that is open seasonally.
