The Location Of Harris Station

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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All,

Have you ever wondered where the exact location of the Harris Station was along the Jersey Central Railroad? Most maps put the station in the general area where the road from Apple Pie Hill meets the JCRR. But where was the exact spot?

Recently, while looking over some old maps I found two from 1913 that shows the property of Dr. White who owned Apple Pie Hill and some of the surrounding property at that time. He, as many land owner of that era had big plans for his propery, and the map shows all the streets and lots that were laid off by him. But a bonus in those maps shows the location of the Harris Station. All we need to know is where the survey locations are that are shown on the map and we can zero in on it. I happen to know those locations and in the maps below you will see where the Harris Station really was.

This map from 1913 shows the station to be almost in the middle but slightly to the right of the two dotted property lines that eventually would become a portion of the Pine Crest Buck Club. The station is circled in yellow. The two lines just above it are the tracks for the Jersey Central. Obviously, the station would be along the track. If you look to the right and up from the yellow circle you can see the two 50' easements that was owned by the JCRR. They are above and below the tracks with the station obviously in the lower 50 foot easement. The dotted lines to the right and left of the station, and the solid line just below the 206.74 is the property line of the Pine Crest Buck Club.

IMAG00099.jpg




In this 1995 map I have put blue lines on the exact location of the dotted and solid lines from the above maps. These are precision survey lines. From the map above we know the station was in the middle and slightly to the right of the dotted lines, so I can accurately place the location of the station on this map.


pinecrest1.jpg



I visited there today and looked the area over and it is my opinion that the terrain in that area pretty much tells us this is correct. In this photo you can see where the mound of dirt furthest from the tracks that runs completely from the road up to Apple Pie Hill to this location stops right at this location. If it continued on it would have been in the way of the station.


Notice the upper mound of dirt ending in the middle of the photo. This ended because of the station in my opinion.


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The disturbed area where the station was located. Just in the distance is the road where access to the station could be made.


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The location on Ben's Live Maps

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.79554&lng=-74.58347&z=18&type=h&gpx=

Guy
 
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bobpbx

Piney
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Oct 25, 2002
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Guy, very interesting. Please give a little history of the station. Why was it there? Was it ever really used...it seems too far outside of town to be of any use.
 

Gibby

Piney
Apr 4, 2011
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Trenton
Teegate, this short section of map of the JCRR adds to your findings. It also indicates that some roads were barricaded.

cnjsd07.gif


I have yet to find a JCRR southern station schedule or employee time table that would help confirm what the station was used for.
 

Teegate

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You can read about it in various books that I am sure you have. Basically, it was named after the Harris family and was used to ship paper and other items from Harrisville and various other places.
 

Ben Ruset

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That is a great find.

I'd like to get out to Hampton Station one of these days. I was out there with a friend a long, long time ago, way before I knew much about maps and whatnot - it'd be interesting to see what might be left.
 
Folks:

As Guy has already indicated, Harris Station received its name from the Harris family and Harrisville. The Raritan & Delaware Bay Railroad officially established the stop in 1862 with the opening of its line to Atsion. The freight station that last stood their dated to 1884 and the Central Railroad of New Jersey completed building the passenger station and agent’s quarters in 1894. The railroad razed the freight station in 1916, since a fire some years earlier had destroyed the Harrisville paper mill. The company renamed the passenger station Pine Crest on 30 September 1923 and discontinued the stop altogether in 1938. Harris Station stood at 89.7 miles from the CNJ’s Jersey City terminal. Likewise, Chatsworth Station stood at 84.3 and Carranza (a stop established in 1900 as Sandy Ridge) stood at 89.7.

Hampton Station stood at milepost 91.1 and, like Harris, was established as a stop in 1862. The New Jersey Southern Railway discontinued Hampton as a stop in 1875, but the CNJ restored it in 1895 as Riders Siding. Anthony Ryder constructed the diminutive freight station the following year. The railroad discontinued the stop and removed the freight building in the late 1920s.

Best regards,
Jerseyman
 

Teegate

Administrator
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They are both there. I actually was right there this morning before the sun came up. I could barely see. I have decided to go back over all of the locations of the Friendship Bogs track and check my accuracy. Some of my GPS cords are from my old etrex and I have found some of them to be off.
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
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Near Mt. Misery
cool info, Guy. I always figured it was right by the sandy area as you cross the tracks from APH. Jack and I walked the tracks recently and apparently we just missed the real station location.
 
Jerseyman,

They must not be using the mileposts that were along the track for their measurement. The location of where Harris Staion was is about 87.3.

http://teegate.njpinebarrens.com/12292012/milepost-1.jpg


http://teegate.njpinebarrens.com/12292012/mileposts2.jpg

Guy

Guy:

I think you will find that after passenger service ended on the line, the mileage no longer extended to the terminus in Jersey City. That would account for the differential in mileage between my stated mileage and the mileposts you are citing.

Best regards,
Jerseyman
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,153
4,258
Pines; Bamber area
I'd like to get out to Hampton Station one of these days. I was out there with a friend a long, long time ago, way before I knew much about maps and whatnot - it'd be interesting to see what might be left.

Are you off tomorrow Ben? I can go out, just not real early.......bob
 
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