Peekskill Train Station celebrates 150 years

Celebration at Station Square involves cherry blossoms and Kentucky Derby party

By Regina Clarkin

May 1, 2024

On May 4, 1874 the Peekskill Train Station on Railroad Avenue officially opened for service and the railroad travelers who passed through would soon replace those traversing the Hudson on steamships.

In this aerial image from Frank Goderre’s collection the train station is seen sitting (on the bottom right) besides the steamship which was the primary mode of transportation up and down the river 150 years ago.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the train station, the Peekskill Rotary Club will be giving a toy train set to the first 40 children who come to The Central located at 300 Railroad Avenue in the train station. There will be original bond certificates that were used to fund the Hudson railroad on display including one signed by Chauncy Depew. The exhibit was curated by Field Library Peekskill Room archivist Sarah Scott.

And since May 4 is the running of the Kentucky Derby the Central is hosting a Derby Party all day where derby dress is encouraged. Mint juleps and bourbon rickeys will be served.

About the Contributor

Regina Clarkin, Editor and Publisher

When the Peekskill Herald weekly newspaper ceased publishing in August 2000 it was the first time in the history of the city that there wasn’t a local newspaper. The award-winning weekly was often referred to as the ‘glue’ of the community. Founded on January 9, 1986 by Regina Clarkin, Kathy Daley and Rich Zahradnik with a $7,000 credit card line, the paper filled the void created when the daily Evening Star was sold to Gannett and moved out of town. Founding publisher Regina Clarkin continued to live in the Peekskill Cortlandt area and turned her attention to other life endeavors. Through the ensuing 19 years, Clarkin was frequently stopped in town and asked when she would start up the Herald again. In January 2019, Clarkin decided it was less labor intensive to deliver a weekly blog than a print newspaper so she began posting one story a week about life in Peekskill. After a successful crowd funding campaign in 2020, the Herald was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in July of 2021. Peekskill Herald is a digital relative of the former print edition, featuring many of the favorite aspects of the beloved Peekskill Herald such as old pictures, personality profiles and well written stories about newsworthy events. Regina Clarkin is the editor and publisher of the site. Photo by Joe Squillante