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BY DOUGLAS MCCULLOCH (@doug_mcculloch)
Walpole’s Union Station has been nominated by the Massachusetts Historical Commission to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In a press release issued by Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin, he called the building a unique example of transit history.
“Inclusion of Walpole’s Union Station in the National Register will help to preserve an unusual late 19th-century building, constructed to serve two railroad lines at their crossing, which has survived more than seven decades and the transition from use first for long-distance travel, then as a branch line, and finally for Boston-based commuter rail service,” Galvin said in a press release.
The current Union Station was built in 1893 to replace an even older train station that burned down earlier that same year. The press release noted that the design of the wood-framed building was likely based on stone railroad stations designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson, making it one of the few surviving buildings in Massachusetts displaying Richardsonian influence.
The long-awaited announcement comes after nearly 20 years of on-and-off attempts to add Walpole’s train station building to the register. It is a project former Walpole Historical Commission chair Michael Amaral started back up in late 2013, determined to make it a reality.
Amaral believed that this time around, with the ease of communicating with the MBTA via email, bringing the train station to the National Register would be much easier.
“It must have been hard to do back in the day because they did not have email,” Amaral said. “Email made it much easier to do. Having the ability to communicate with the MBTA made it really easy.”
He worked closely with the MBTA and an outside historical consultant hired with funds donated by Rockland Federal Credit Union to compile a history on the building. The consultant submitted a 30-page document containing the history of the building and other required information to the Massachusetts Historical Commission for approval.
For Amaral, it is a bittersweet moment to finally see the building get the recognition he believes it deserves.
“When you raise awareness for historical properties, there is always a people factor involved,” Amaral said.
He said that the building was one of the points many service members passed on their way to Boston to be shipped off to World War II and World War II, as well as the building’s historical use as a switching station for freight trains that required someone to be stationed there 24/7 to switch the tracks.
Amaral noted that the train station is truly a part of Walpole’s history.
“It just enhances the fact that Walpole has always been a commuter town to Boston,” Amaral said.
He noted that even in the early 1900s, one could look at Boston business directories and find a number of Walpole residents with Boston offices thanks to the train station that provided easy access to Boston.
After being approved by the state, the National Park Service will have to give their final approval. Amaral noted that he anticipates the whole process will take about a year to finalize. Once it is finalized, Amaral hopes to have a plaque installed to commemorate the building’s listing.
Walpole features two other significant buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Old Town Hall that now houses the Walpole Police Department, and the Deacon Willard Lewis House, which is owned by the Walpole Historical Society.
