The Old Depot at Irmisch Park in the Village of Lindenhurst

The first depot was erected in 1867, built through the contributions of the farmers who lived here. It stood on the southeast corner of Wellwood and Hoffman Avenues. The founders of Breslau later built a larger depot north of the first one, which was moved to School Street. It became a school, then a firehouse and lastly a private residence, which it still is today.

The second depot was a two-story building with the depot master living upstairs and the post office downstairs. The third depot, the building now located on the site in Irmisch Park in the Village of Lindenhurst, was first used March 25, 1901. The South Side Signal, then the local paper for Lindenhurst Village, reported the depot “is a pretty little structure with low, broad eaves and a cone-shaped pagoda like roof, altogether superior in appearance to the old building. Lindenhurst will have the prettiest depot building between Massapequa and Oakdale, barring none. Some are bigger, but there are none as pretty from an architectural standpoint.”

Lindenhurst grew by leaps and bounds while its freight business was dwindling. The Lindenhurst train line became a commuter line and the track was then elevated. Eventually there was no more use for the depot. At that time the Lindenhurst Historical Society began to show great interest in the depot, and its members talked about restoration – moving it to a new site – making it into a museum. On October 25, 1968 the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) turned over the keys of the old depot to the then president of the Historical Society when temporary tracks were laid for regular railroad use.

The depot restoration committee, under the leadership of Luis Liebal, Jr., arranged with Village officials to have the Depot moved to Irmisch Historical Park. This took place in November of that year. Since the building was now on Village-owned property, the Historical Society turned over ownership to the Village of Lindenhurst, but agreed to direct and be responsible for the buildings’ restoration. The freight house was detached from the Depot and laid on its own foundation. The interior of the freight house is now an exhibit, which depicts shipments that formerly arrived by rail for the citizens of Lindenhurst. Uniforms worn by employees of the railroad, many of whom lived in Lindenhurst, are also on display. Fine collections of pictures of railroad scenes are displayed. The story of “Mile-a-Minute” Murphy is depicted, and the freight house features many more artifacts connecting with railroading.

The Depot is a restoration: it took a miracle to bring back the look and feel of the building, which was new in 1901. Come and see the old ticket agent’s office, the black cast iron stove, which provided the only heat, and the oak telephone! It’s located at Irmsich Park on South Broadway between Kent Avenue and South Third Street.