Historic Wakefield NH
Model stagecoach on display at the Heritage Centre of Wakefield Corner Gallery/Museum.
UNION —The New Hampshire Garden Railway Society's traveling exhibit will be on display at the Heritage Park Railroad Museum in Union on Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Note the earlier start time! This event coincides with Union Village Heritage Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday, July 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The live steam outdoor operating display features G-scale locomotives and freight cars running on rails 1-7/8 inches apart. Built by society members, the display is 35 feet long and 22 feet wide elevated one foot above the ground.
Garden railroads are large scale model railroads which are operated mainly outdoors on permanently installed track. A formidable challenge for the garden railroader is knowing the materials and techniques to be used in constructing an outdoor railroad that can withstand weather conditions.
Event coincides with Union Village Heritage Day - see Events page for more information
Union Village Heritage Day this Saturday, July 29!
Established in 1993, the Wakefield Heritage Commission has developed plans to restore areas of the community that reflect the importance of Wakefield in transportation, manufacturing, and farming. With the generous support of volunteers, financial donors, and grants, the first building constructed in the village of Sanbornville, the Garvin Building, was restored. Upon completion, the Wakefield Heritage Commission sold the Garvin Building. It remains a focal point and tribute to the history of the community. In recent years, the Commission, thanks to a small army of talented and generous volunteers, has restored Union Station and the Freight House in Union, the Lovell-Union Grange, and the Spinney Meeting House. In 2014, the Newichawannock Bridge and Canal, built in 1868, was designated as the town's second National Historic District and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
2017 Dates & Times
~ Free admission to all venues ~
Open at other times for school, community, and individual tours by special appointment.
Union Train Station
One Chapel Street, in Union;
Open June 24 thru October 8
Saturdays & Sundays 12 to 4 p.m.
Freight House / Model train layout
One Chapel Street, in Union;
Open June 24 thru October 8
Saturdays & Sundays 12 to 4 p.m.
Gallery/Museum
at the Heritage Centre of Wakefield Corner
26 Province Lake Road
Open June 21 thru October 7
Wednesdays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to noon
Blacksmith Shop
Bridge Street in Union
~To be determined~
NH Garden Railway exhibit comes to Union, July 29-30
Union Station
The original station was built approximately in 1854 and replaced by a new station in 1911. This station served as a passenger embarkation and debarkation point for local people, and for many years housed the Union Post Office. Today, Union Station houses numerous artifacts, photographs and antiques related to the region's manufacturing, ice harvesting and railroading heritage.
Model Railroad Project
Make sure to visit the Heritage Park Railroad Museum this season and marvel at the HO scale model of the Boston and Maine Railroad as it served the five villages of Wakefield in 1909. The model was painstakingly researched for historical accuracy. A team of volunteer ferroenquinologists, which means "students of the iron horse," has dedicated countless hours and resources to the project, which has been in the works for nearly four years. Visitors of all ages will enjoy the craftsmanship! Click on the link to the "1909 B&M Railroad Model" above for more information and photos.
Wakefield Heritage Commission
Wakefield Town Hall
2 High Street
Sanbornville, New Hampshire 03872
603-520-3589
e-mail: wakefieldheritage@yahoo.com
On the web: www.historicwakefieldnh.com
The Wakefield Heritage Commission is an agency of the Town of Wakefield and shares in the town's federal income tax exempt status regarding donations as per NH RSA 673:4-a, RSA674:44-a, through RSA 674:44d. Charitable contributions to government units are tax deductible under section 170c(1) of the Internal Revenue Code when made for public purpose.
The size of the locomotives requires a lot of space for operation and the scale encourages many modelers to work with live steam making them popular in outdoor settings. Fired by butane, alcohol, or propane to heat the water, live steam powered locomotives provide great realism and excitement for both the hobbyist as well as the viewer.
Other power sources for radio controlled operation are AC/DC electric, solar, and battery power. Garden railroads get their name from the fact that they are installed in a garden environment, and usually landscaped with living plants to add to the scenery. Many garden railroad hobbyists enjoy the combination of railroading and gardening and often become amateur horticulturalists to provide the model railroad components a realistic low maintenance appearance amongst nature's vegetation.
The Heritage Park Railroad Museum campus, which includes the Freight House, Union Station, the 1902 Russell Snow Plow, antique Boston and Maine Railroad caboose and more, is located at 282 Main Street, in the village of Union. Admission is free to all exhibits.
The traveling exhibit of the New Hampshire Garden Railway Society's G-scale locomotives and freight cars returns to Heritage Park the weekend of July 29th. Come visit the display, which will be up for viewing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 29 and 30th.
Pictured above, from left to right, Union Station, a portion of the 1909 Boston and Maine Railroad HO scale model at the Heritage Park Railroad Museum, and Heritage Commission volunteers Rick Poore and members Pam Wiggin, Nancy Hall and Annette Perry at the Commission's table during 2017 Wakefield Pride Day.