Erie Railroad Station

With the coming of the Erie Railroad through the valley in 1850, a rapid and easy way was provided to ship farm products to market. Hay barns and warehouses were built along the north side of the tracks in and near the hamlet of Cameron. Here, farmers could bring wagon loads of hay to be pressed and shipped by railroad car to New York City for dray horse consumption.

The first trains up the Canisteo Valley through Cameron were fueled by wood. This was purchased locally and piled at various locations along the tracks. This provided a market for the readily available timber that stood on the steep hills along the river. Nearby land owners sold their wood as a cash crop. This created employment for many hired hands.

The Erie built a depot in the hamlet for convenience of the residents where they might receive the ship goods, as well as U. S. mail. Passenger service was made available for travel as far east as Jersey City and west to Chicago with connections at these terminals to many locations in the United States. The new rail connections made it possible for farmers to raise more cattle, sheep, swine and chickens, and ship out the surplus as a cash crop.

(This information is from the book "Steuben County The First 200 Years A Pictorial History" by Richard Sherer.) Used with permission from Nathan Stufflebean of The Donning Company Publishers. Copyright © 1996 ~ MHS/JF. This chapter on Woodhull is by Norma B. Crane.

This story originated on Middletown Historical Society of Steuben County.