The Daily Journal from Vineland, New Jersey • 7

2002 The Daily Journal CELEBRATES nnta Monday, May 13,2002 A7 pant Role of the Railroad i.i ii tceme When the railroad came to town in 1860, Millville's first locomotive didn't arrive under its own power. The Eagle, below, a small, second-hand engine with a reputation for jumping its tracks, was shipped on a river schooner and dragged via mule and muscle power to High and Broad streets. There, at a depot then on the wooded outskirts of town, began the new i nil Zi-mue Mill vine trlassboro Kauroad. Within a few years, Millville rails stretched from Camden to Cape May as the rail road underwent a series of expansions, mergers and i 'J -1 name changes. An early ii 1 1 Wt 1 spur was Duiit to tne Millville Manufacturing complex off Columbia i ti Avenue and, by the mid- 18803, spurs also reached the 1 Upper and Lower Works of Whitall Tatum.

Trains had replaced stage and river transportation as a primary mode of moving people, freight and mail. Before operations were merged into the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in the 1930s, 13 arriving and 13 departing trains served Millville each day. Cars and better highways, however, were about to result in greatly reduced rail traffic By 1959, Vineland and Millville were the last communities in the county to retain passenger service. Although 1 7 xsr 1 it served as the terminus of the Philadelphia-Mil- lville line, there were seldom more than three riders getting off at once in the Holly City's depot In 197L with very little fanfare or notice, the 7 si last passenger train rolled out of Mill villa The station at High and Broad streets, above, and the adjacent freight yard existed until the late 1950s when the site was cleared, at right, to make way for a shopping center. A new structure on Second Street was built to handle the few remaining passengers.

7 1 Last week we asked: How fast was Millville's first train? Answer Passengers were advised to be A m. cautious due to the "tremendous speeds" of 12 to 15 miles per hour. This week's question: What was the fare for a ride on the Bridgeton-Millville trolley, which began service in the 1 890s? Find out next Monday, May 20, in Getting Around Town, Part 9 of a 20-part series. Coming up: Part 10: Downtown Businesses, Monday, May 27. Part 11: Entertainment, Monday, June 3.

Part 12: Police and Fire Departments The ferryboat Millville was part of Pennsylvania Railroad's Delaware River fleet Until March 1952, people and autos were ferried from Market Street in Philadelphia to the Camden terminal, near the site of today's aquarium. The terminal doubled as a railroad station where passengers boarded trains for points east and south, including Millville. Decreased patronage after the 1926 opening of the Delaware River Bridge, now the Ben Franklin Bridge, in the background, eventually led to the ferry's demise. Monday, June 10. The railroad's large water tank on High Street leaked onto this car during a cold day in 1955, creating a cascade of icicles.

fl l'l DIDYOlfl DID YO KNOW! Durin9 one of tne town's first tram excursions in 1860, only girls and women were permitted to ride in passenger cars. Larger men and boys rode on the flatbeds while smaller boys sat in the box cars. Small diesel and steam switching locomotives were used for hauling railway cars and freight at Whitall Tatum glass factory. 1 vintage passes, len, irom ine Although passenger service is long gone, freight trains continue to play a role in Millville's Millville Historical Society's collection anuvv iiiai ivi. iycvvcii ui iviiiiviiic economy.

Conrail lines serve the Wheaton factory and the served as an engineman and fireman for the railroad during the early 20th century. Newell is one of the men standing alongside this early locomotive. Espoma fertilizer company, while the Winchester Western, left, a short line based in Bridgeton, delivers sand, canned goods and steel in the Millville area. An 1875 photo of the station at High and Broad streets. Built in the 1870s, it replaced the original depot that had occupied the site since 1860.

Photos courtesy of Millville Historical Society Dale Wettstein Collection 1879 The public water MiilvilleThroughThe Decades: 1872-1882 1880 -The Millville Fire Department is organized as the Resolution Hose Co. system is turned on. 1881 The first city hall is built at Second and Sassafras streets. It also serves as a fire hall. The Cape May and Millville Railroad Co.

is merged into the West Jersey and Seashore R.R. Co. 1872 Southeastern School is built on South Fourth Street. 1882 Crammer Sparks open a machine shop. The Workingmen's Institute is built at the foot of High Street.

1878 The Millville Water Co. is incorporated. 1873 Anew wrought-iron pivot bridge at Main Street replaces a structure that had been rebuilt in 1860. i 1 I 1 I Photo and graphics editorBarbara Errickson ResearchDoug Fuhrmann LayoutSusan Watson GraphicsJohn Elbertson vi 4 4 I i 1 ta ll MrlMlnMRlll lr 5nrrr iflrllt'jrJIfeoQjig? 1 1 pii" (J 'A1 Ax.