Cape Cod Central Railroad

The first New England railroads, a trio of lines radiating from Boston to Lowell, Worcester, and Providence, were completed in 1835, and rail service reached Plymouth in 1845. A line from Middleborough to Wareham and then to Sandwich was completed in May 1848. Cape Cod did not get a railroad connection until the Old Colony Rail Road completed its line to Wareham and Sandwich. In 1854 the line was extended to Barnstable, Yarmouth, and then the port of Hyannis, where steamers docked for trips to the islands. Tracks were extended to Wellfleet in January 1871 and to Provincetown in July 1873.

This expansion in southeastern Massachusetts should be viewed against the rapid industrialization of the U.S. after 1865, with earlier efforts marking incremental progress in the use of the railroad to further economic growth. The railroad age had started in the 1830s in Great Britain, when lines were laid to haul both passengers and freight (often ore from mines). But even earlier, in Quincy Massachusetts in 1826, the Granite Railroad used three horse-pulled wagons riding on iron-covered wooden rails to haul stone from a quarry to a dock at Boston Harbor. After the Civil War, every town wanted to be connected to the railroad. In the 1880s seventy-one thousand miles of track were laid, most of it west of the Mississippi, a boom enabled in part by the federal land grants offered in the 1872 Morrill Act. The taking, or granting, of land for railroad right-of-way was central to the growth of the many lines that crisscrossed the Northeast and the Midwest.

Joseph Story Fay, a Boston merchant, was the first of the summer visitors and one of the most generous. Early recognizing the importance of bringing the railroad to Woods Hole, he divided his own property for its construction. When he had purchased a large farm in Woods Hole in 1850, Falmouth and Woods Hole were still served by stage lines with four horses on each stage.

In 1861 a group of businessmen in Falmouth petitioned the legislature to grant a charter for a line from Cohasset Narrows (Buzzards Bay) to Woods Hole, and approval was given on April 11, 1861. The next day, the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina and construction was postponed.

In 1864 a new name, The Cape Cod Central Railroad, was approved by the legislature, but the first train arrived in Falmouth and Woods Hole only on July 18, 1872. This new line was 17.5 miles from Cohasset Narrows with stations at North Falmouth, West Falmouth, Falmouth, and Woods Hole.

Tourism Impacts

The impact of the railroad was felt immediately in the area: a small agrarian community and dying maritime economy was transformed into a summer resort area as well as a business center. The ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket were moved here from Hyannis. In 1872 the Island Home met the first train, and for many decades Woods Hole offered the shortest route to the islands. In the first season over 1,000 people per day rode the train to Woods Hole.

The Martha’s Vineyard Railroad was a 3-foot (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. It was built in 1874 to connect the Oak Bluffs wharf with the section of Edgartown known as Katama. However, the line closed in 1896.

Steamship “Nantucket” to Martha’s Vineyard (1900)

Large estates were built in Falmouth, and summer tourists were attracted to the beaches and temperate climate of the shore and islands. Families from New York and other parts of New England used the railroad for their summer visits to Falmouth and Martha’s Vineyard. The building of large hotels to accommodate families that stayed for several weeks and often returned each summer dates from this time.

Commercial Impacts

Freight trains were also central to this period of intense railway activity. The Falmouth Station was a very active spot in town with the freight yards often filled with freight cars. Many businesses were dependent on the railroad, including Falmouth Coal Co., Lawrence Grain Co., and Wood Lumber Co. Every evening Sam Cahoon sent carloads of iced fresh fish from Woods Hole to Boston and New York. Strawberry growers in East Falmouth sent carloads of iced fresh strawberries to Boston, where they became a welcome addition to urban markets and a major source of revenue for local growers.

In 1890 Captain Lewis H. Lawrence built a grain mill on the west side of the railroad tracks and a railroad siding was constructed to bring freight cars to the mill. Frederick T. Lawrence, Jr., the grandson of Captain Lawrence, described this siding in The Book of Falmouth (p. 79):

“The railroad’s freight platform extended to within 42 feet of the Lawrence Bros. mill. It was large enough to unload wagons, autos, cement and the annual circus. Later it was expanded east to an entrance off Palmer Avenue with the addition of three tracks.”

The Pacific Guano Company on Long Neck, now Penzance Point, in Woods Hole was an initial beneficiary of the railroad. The company produced fertilizer for almost 25 years, processing guano from islands in the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico with fish meal made from locally caught fish. In 1872 it produced and shipped out by rail 16,000 tons of fertilizer. The processing plant closed in 1889, primarily because inorganic fertilizers took over the market.

Another beneficiary of the railroad extension was the Falmouth Coal Company. Wilbur Dyer came from Westfield, Maine to Falmouth in 1912 as the railroad station master, and later established the Falmouth Coal Company. His son, Arnold, notes that when the family arrived both the old and new Stations were standing before the older building was demolished.

In 1924, Wilbur Dyer bought two independent coal companies that included the land behind the Enterprise office where there were coal bins and later oil tanks alongside a rail siding. His grandson, Wilbur (Bill) Dyer, continues with the fourth generation of the business as the Falmouth Energy Company.

The Flying Dude

In 1884 several industrialists asked the Old Colony Railroad to offer a private train by subscription from Boston to Falmouth and Woods Hole. The inaugural trip of The Flying Dude left Boston at 3:10 pm on June 13, 1884, and arrived in Woods Hole at 4:50 pm in time for the 5:00 ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. For thirty-two years there were enough paying passengers for this railroad service to run from June to early October each year.

Though subscription trains had become common in this age of industrial barons, the Dude was described in a 1904 Enterprise as “the finest train in New England.”

Conductor Augustus Messer was a dignified presence on the Dude from 1890 to 1904, and spent thirty-two years on the Boston to Woods Hole run. He was familiar with all the passengers, including President Grover Cleveland, who alighted at Gray Gables near the Summer White House in Bourne. In 1904 the former conductor started his first run of the season and suffered a stroke from which he never recovered. The Flying Dude made its last trip on October 2, 1916.

Societal Impacts

The following excerpts were published in the Falmouth Enterprise on July 1, 1905:

“At noon, Monday, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in this village was the scene of one of the most brilliant weddings ever solemnized in this town for Miss Mary Emmons, and John Parkinson, Jr. The young couple are society leaders on the summer set in Falmouth and Buzzards Bay and have known each other since childhood. Many guests for the wedding came by a special train that left Boston at 9:25 in the morning, reaching here at 11:45 and the guests were taken in carriages to the church. The ceremony was witnessed by upwards of 200 guests.

The bridal party took carriages to the summer home of the father of the bride, where a wedding breakfast was served and the nuptial festivities continued until late in the afternoon. The reception was held in the parlor and the guests were served refreshments on tables on the lawn. The bride and groom took their departure on the 2:27 train for Boston.”

Other Impacts

The Cape Cod Canal was opened in 1914. Its construction between 1909 and 1911 necessitated a major relocation of the tracks between Buzzards Bay and Sagamore as well as a bridge to carry the Cape Cod Railroad across the canal at Buzzards Bay. The present vertical lift bridge opened in 1935. Until 1955, its span of 544 feet made it the world’s longest vertical lift bridge.

The hurricane on September 21, 1938, was a devastating event for Falmouth train service as more than four miles of rail were washed out, and there was extensive damage to the Woods Hole railroad yard, many of the railroad cars, and the electrical system. Service was restored later that year, and regular passenger service continued to Falmouth and Woods Hole until June 30, 1959.

World War II

Camp Edwards Barrack Construction (1940)

In 1940, the U.S. Army leased Camp Edwards as a training facility as part of its mobilization strategy for World War II. A railroad spur was built from the North Falmouth Station to transport construction materials to Camp Edwards to build barracks and other buildings for over 30,000 men.

Over 18,000 employees worked three shifts, completing 30 buildings a day for a period of 25 days until January 1941.

This impressive feat served as a prototype for other camps built during World War II. During the war, the camp functioned as a departure point for troops as well as a training ground for anti-aircraft units.

Falmouth Station

The original Falmouth Station was built in 1872 of wood and provided service for more than forty years.

In 1914, a new “fancy” brick station was constructed with stone cornices, a red tiled floor and an iron and glass canopy.

However, after the construction of the interstate highways in the 1950s and the increasing use of cars and buses to get to Falmouth and Woods Hole, rail service declined to the point that the station was scheduled to be razed. A group of concerned citizens petitioned that the station be saved. Improvements to the Falmouth Station were completed in 1989 with funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and included improved facilities in the ticket area, exterior landscaping, and handicap access.

The most recent refurbishment was completed in 2017 under the auspices of the Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) with funding from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (which owns the property and leases it to EDIC in a 99-year lease).

The Station serves Peter Pan Bus Lines (with service from Woods Hole and Falmouth to Boston, Logan Airport, Providence and New York City); the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, with service Woods Hole to Falmouth and other towns on the Cape; the seasonal Trolley to Woods Hole; and the local taxi companies.

The station backs up to the celebrated Shining Sea Bikeway built on the original railroad right-of-way in the 1970s and runs for more than ten miles from Woods Hole to North Falmouth. The Bikeway attracts many visitors—bikers and walkers of all ages—to the area. The bike path crosses Depot Avenue by the handsomely restored Falmouth Station, where bikers can stop for refreshment and a short rest.

Historic Designation

Though the Falmouth Station’s physical address is found within Falmouth Village Historic District, the building itself sits just outside of the historic district boundary. With the efforts of Paul Dreyer, the Falmouth EDIC and other interested parties advocating for Falmouth Station’s historical recognition, on August 6, 2021 the Falmouth Historical Commission considered and approved the inclusion of the Falmouth Station on the Falmouth List of Significant Buildings. This action will ensure this building receives the deserved historical recognition and offers some oversight protection.

For over a century and continuing until today, the Falmouth Station remains a major entry point into the Town of Falmouth and other nearby Cape Cod towns. During its various renovations over the years, the essence of its original structure and mission remains solidly in place and continues to provide service our Town, bus patrons and the Shining Sea Bikeway users.

We give thanks to all the residents of Falmouth, the many public and private organizations, and Town and State officials who have demonstrated enormous interest and support in preserving this historic building.

References
Archives, Falmouth Historical Society
Archives, Woods Hole Historical Museum
Choate, Philip H. “Woods Hole Branch” Cape Rail Dispatch, 2005
Droege, John A., Passenger Terminals and Trains, 1969
Eldrege, Andrew T., Railroads of Cape Cod and the Islands, 2003
Farson, Robert H., Cape Cod Railroads, 1990
Fisher, Charles E., The Story of the Old Colony Railroad, 1919
Karr, Ronald Dale, The Rail Lines of Southern New England: A Handbook of Railroad History, 1995.
Smith, Mary Lou, ed., The Book of Falmouth, 1986
Smith, Mary Lou, ed., Woods Hole Reflections, 1983
Wolmar, Christian, The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America, 2012

Photo Credits
Woods Hole Railroad Yard (1872) – Falmouth Museum on the Green (FMG)
Steamship “Nantucket” (1900) - FMG
Falmouth Coal Company (1900) - FMG
The Flying Dude (1890) – Historic New England
Camp Edwards Construction (1940) – Public Domain
Original Falmouth Station (1872) – FMG
Falmouth Station (1914) – FMG
Falmouth Station (2017) – Paul Dreyer

About the Author
Paul C. Dreyer is Professional Environmental Engineer in private practice with extensive international experience and is a member of the Falmouth Planning Board and the Coastal Resiliency Action Committee in Falmouth.

A Brief History of the Falmouth Station