New Haven Railroad Appointed Charles Merritt its First Ticket Agent in Pelhamville in January, 1875

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.

For the first few years that the New Haven Line passed through sleepy little Pelhamville, the wooden station there had no ticket agent. In fact, until 1872, Pelhamville was merely a "flag stop" on the New Haven Line. This meant that trains on the New Haven Line did not stop there regularly. Rather, a "flag" was raised as a signal to the engineer to stop the train so that passengers at the station could embark. According to the Village of North Pelham Souvenir Program for the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Village of North Pelham, "Four trains stopped at Pelhamville station, if you flagged them, and you paid your fare of five cents to New York, on the Train."

The New Haven Railroad installed its first ticket agent at the Pelhamville station in January, 1875. His name was Charles H. Merritt. The following is a brief announcement of the appointment that appeared in The New York Times.

"WESTCHESTER COUNTY. . . .

Mr. Charles Merritt has been appointed ticket agent of the New-Haven Railroad Company at Pelhamville, being the first agent stationed there. . . . "

Source: City and Suburban News, N.Y. Times, Jan. 16, 1875, p. 12.

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.