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Wolfville Station

From DARwiki

Wolfville was served by three railway stations in the history of the town. The final station, a custom-built brick structure, survives today to serve as the town's public library.

Windsor & Annapolis Railway Wood Station 1869 - 1891

The first Wolfville station although not specifically mentioned except that it was constructed as one of the original 21 stations for the newly minted Windsor and Annapolis Railway. It had board and batten walls, similar to the first Annapolis Royal Station. The station received it's first official passenger train full of dignitaries from Halifax and led by the engine "Evangeline" at 12:55 on August 19, 1869.[1]

According to Tom Sheppard in his book Historic Wolfville, "Wolfville was the headquarters for the railway at first, and engines built in England landed at the town. Disagreements with landowners forced the move of the headquarters to Kentville." Our own Mud Creek says that the first station agent was Samuel Prat. By 1888, Mumford was agent.[2]

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Windsor & Annapolis Railway / Dominion Atlantic Railway Wood Station 1891 - 1911

A new station for Wolfville opened on August 3, 1891.[3] It was an unusual variation of the standard Windsor & Annapolis station design featuring an extra large waiting room with bay windows.

The Halifax Morning Herald of August 1891 said: "A new railway station had been built in May, one of the best, second only to that in Middleton." Graves was stationmaster at the time.[4]

The second station was destroyed by fire on October 25, 1911. The fire that was discovered about 11 pm on October 24, an hour after a special train passed through. The fire was well advanced and firefighters could not stop it. The waiting rooms, baggage rooms, agent’s office and freight shed were all destroyed along with a large quantity of freight. The fire was believed caused by someone carelessly thrown cigar or cigarette end, possibly from the passing train.[5][6]

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Dominion Atlantic Railway Brick Station 1911 - 1990

After the second station was destroyed in a 1911 fire, a new station was designed by Halifax architect Herbert Gates who had designed the expansion of the Kentville Station in 1902. Rhodes, Curry and Company built the station which was completed shortly after August 23, 1912.[7] A new brick freight shed was built at the same time. The newly built station also include an apartment for the station agent who at that time was Chester G.C. Coombs. After the Coombs family got their own house, the assistant station agent Horace Jackson lived in the apartment.[8] The last passenger train left in January 1990. However, the station was restored and opened as town library in 1993.[9]

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Annapolis Valley Regional Library 1993 - Present

After the end of railway passenger service, the Wolfville station was rescued by a group of concerned citizens and restored to serve as the public library in 1993.

This information was originally on the AVRL web site but was removed. The following was retreived from the web archive. (4)

Railway Station Renovation Story

On September 11, 1993, several hundred people met in the brilliant sunshine of a lovely Nova Scotian autumn day to witness the official opening of the new quarters of the Wolfville Branch Library.

The new branch is located in the former Dominion Atlantic Railway station, which was purchased by the Town of Wolfville. Negotiations between the Town and the Canadian Pacific Railway began in October 1990, but were not finalized until October 1992 when the federal government, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board approved the sale of the federally registered heritage railway property.

The opening marked the culmination of efforts which started in December 1988 when a delegation of members of the Canadian Federation of University Women, Wolfville Branch, made a presentation to the Wolfville Town Council requesting a new and expanded Wolfville Branch Library. In February 1991 a group of residents formed the Wolfville Memorial Library Foundation, today referred to as Friends of the Wolfville Memorial Library. A registered charitable organization, the Foundation was made up of members of the community who had an interest in creating a new library facility, or in saving the railway heritage building or both.

The foundation organized and carried out a fund raising campaign which began in April 1992 with a goal of $275,000 to renovate the railway station and furnish it as a library. Over 500 individuals or families donated to the campaign. While the majority of donations came from people living in Wolfville, a number of memorial donations came from people living in other provinces and several states of the United States. The campaign reached its objective just six months later, in October 1992. The organizers of the campaign credit its success in large part to the fact that donor categories were created and people were encouraged to donate money money for areas or furnishings in memory or recognition of past or present members of the community.

The restoration of the station began in December 1992. The Library Operations Committee comprised of Board members and the Branch staff planned the interior of the building which includes a children's area, adult book room, a reading lounge and reference area and a community room on the upper level. All shelving and furnishings are in oak.

At the end of May 1993 the library moved from its former location on Main Street to the new facility. Two local landscaping firms donated their time and talents and together with the Town's park crew, landscaping around the building was completed. The building opened for public use on June 2, 1993.

Since that date the library has received an award from the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia for the restoration and re-use of the Dominion Atlantic Station which was designed by Herbert Gates and built in 1912.

Displayed in the library are assorted items of interest relating to the history of the railway station. They include the original station clock and a larges scale model of the Dominion Atlantic Railway locomotive No. 32 "The Blomidon" which was made by Arthur Coldwell in 1908. The model was donated to the library by local railway fans in memory of DAR employees. Also are original paintings of the station by the artists Wallace E. Turner and Jean Hancock.

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References and Footnotes

  1. ↑ Marguerite Woodworth, History of the Dominion Atlantic Railway, page 66.
  2. ↑ Information was forwarded to the DARDPI by Heather Watts of the Wolfville Historical Society
  3. ↑ "The new station in Wolfville has been completed and was occupied yesterday for the first time. It is a very creditable building.Moncton Transcript, Aug. 4, 1891, reference courtesy Chris Gertridge
  4. ↑ Information was forwarded to the DARDPI by Heather Watts of the Wolfville Historical Society
  5. ↑ "DAR Station at Wolfville Burned Down", Saint John Telegraph, Oct. 25, 1911, featured in Facebook post, April 25, 2025 by Chris Gertridge
  6. ↑ Harry Jost and Barry Moody, "Canadian Pacific Railway Station Wolfville, Nova Scotia", Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada Railway Station Report, RSR-081, 1991, Canadian Pacific Historical Association Documents Library, pages 91, 96.
  7. ↑ Railway Station Renovation Story at the Web Archive
  8. ↑ om Sheppard, Historic Wolfville: Grand Pre and Countryside, page 164.
  9. ↑ Peter M. Latta, Old Railway Stations of the Maritimes, St. Agnes Press, p. 26.

External Links

Harry Jost and Barry Moody, "Canadian Pacific Railway Station Wolfville, Nova Scotia", Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada Railway Station Report, RSR-081, 1991, Canadian Pacific Historical Association Documents Library. Includes original detailed plans.

Wolfville Historical Society Website.

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