Railroad Park

Railroad Park

The Putnam Railroad began business as the New York and Boston Railroad on May 21, 1869. Its goal was to link Westchester and Putnam counties with railroad lines serving upstate New York and New England into Canada. In the 1880s the railroad station was the center of town, surrounded by five stores, a school, a hotel, two locksmiths, a wheelwright, and two churches. When the rail line closed, the Town of Yorktown eventually came into ownership of the station and the surrounding property, which became a town park.

In 1976/77, the Town repaired the station house exterior.  In 1981 the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1994 the Historical Society undertook exterior renovations. From 2004 to 2020, the Town's Planning Department waded through a lengthy grant approval process with the New York State Department of Transportation to complete a $467,000 restoration of the station building.   

Also located in Railroad Park and erected in 2018, is the Pines Bridge Monument. The monument, in the form of a heroic sculpture by nationally noted sculptor Jay Warren of Oregon, pays tribute to the members of the Rhode Island Regiment who died defending the Pines Bridge crossing of the Croton River. It depicts Colonel Christopher Greene, the legendary commander of the regiment. Two soldiers fight beside him, an African American and a Native American, all doomed to perish in the brief and desperate battle.

Sitting benches, picnic tables, a playground, and a basketball court are also located in the park.