The 1901 Restored LIRR Depot and Freight House Museum pays tribute to Lindenhurst’s 1870 founding as Breslau; due in large part to the 1867 advent of rail service
Lindenhurst, NY – Where were you fifty years ago, Sunday May 18, 1975? Local radio stations were playing the #1 song-Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Shining Star”, the day was partly cloudy and the temperature was in the 60’s, the evening’s moon was in a first quarter phase, TV’s hits included “All in the Family” and “Maude”, Master Derby had just won the Preakness, President Gerald Ford declared an end to the “Vietnam Era” and at Irmisch Historical Park, here in Lindenhurst, Historical Society members celebrated “another auspicious Pfingst Sunday” by marking the Grand Opening of the 1901 Restored LIRR Depot and Freight House Museum. Lindenhurst Historical Society members, dignities including Mayor Thomas Kost and Suffolk County Legislator Joseph Bassano and residents were on hand to cut the ribbon; officially dedicating Suffolk County’s first railroad museum.
This year on Sunday, May 18, 2025 history will repeat itself when the Lindenhurst Historical Society celebrates the Depot and Freight House Museum’s 50th Anniversary as a museum with a “Community Picnic” on Irmisch Historical Park’s Great Lawn. The day’s festivities will include music, museum tours, a variety of food trucks, a model train display, raffles and lawn games and sack races for the children and young at heart. Opening ceremonies will begin at noon and the fun will continue until 4PM.
Lindenhurst’s Irmisch Historical Park, located at the intersection of South Broadway and South Third Street, has been home to the 1901 Restored LIRR Depot and Freight House Museum since November 1968, when the structures were placed there after being moved from their original location on South Hoffman Avenue at South Wellwood Avenue; where they had served Lindenhurst since March 1901 as its train depot and freight house. In the late 1960’s, when the LIRR announced plans to eliminate grade crossings and elevate the railroad tracks, the depot and freight house, had fallen into disrepair and now faced demolition. Lindenhurst Historical Society members seized the opportunity to snatch the building from the wrecking ball’s wrath and preserve the depot and adjoining freight house as a museum. The Historical Society spearheaded the buildings’ renovations, garnering volunteer labor, Village financial support and federal funding, transforming the dilapidated buildings into a Museum that replicates the building’s 1901 appearance. Recalling that our community can trace its 1870 founding as Breslau in part to the establishment of the South Side Railroad’s single track in 1867, the 1901 Depot and Freight House Museum, recently designated a Historical Transportation Site by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, is a fitting tribute to the railroad’s influence on Lindenhurst’s evolution; from Breslau to today’s thriving Village, the fourth largest in New York State.
Today, Irmisch Historical Park is also home to the Village’s Old Village Hall Museum. Both museums are managed by the Lindenhurst Historical Society and contain artifacts and historic objects from the Society’s sizeable collection. Docent guided tours are available when each museum is opened.
Residents, friends and neighbors are welcome to join the Lindenhurst Historical Society on Sunday, May 18 for this community celebration highlighting the Restored 1901 Depot and Freight House’s 50th Anniversary and kicking off the Museums’ 2025 Summer Season.
