Footnotes to Long Island History
Old Timetable and Adds
by
Thomas R. Bayles
An
old timetable of the Long Island Rail Road Co. for
June 1844, when the main line of the railroad went
only as far east as Carman's River, or about where
Yaphank station is now, shows a train leaving
Brooklyn at 9:30 a.m. for Carman's River, stopping
at Medford Station (Patchogue). It was a month later
in July that the railroad was opened all the way
through to Greenport. This timetable shows the train
returning from Carman's River at 1 p.m. It also
stated that stages would meet the train at Medford
Station for Patchogue, and at Carman's River for
Greenport and villages in between on the north side,
and Sag Harbor and Montauk and intermediate places
on the south side. There was only one train operated
in each direction and the fare to Medford Station
was $1.50 from Brooklyn.
A timetable
of the Hartford & Long Island Steamboat Company for
May 1, 1861, shows the steamer, Mary Benton, with
Captain G. W. Bales, leaving Sag Harbor Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at 7 a.m. for Hartford,
stopping at Greenport at 7:50 a.m., New London at
10:15 a.m., Lyme at 12:45 p.m., and stopping at "the
various landings on the Connecticut River, landing
at Hartford 6 p.m."
The railroad timetable
for 1866 reads as follows: "Trains from New York
leaving James Slip at 8 a.m. and Hunter's Point at
8:30 a.m. Greenport Mail and passenger train,
stopping at all stations and connecting at Mineola
with the Branch Roads for Roslyn, Glen Head and
Hempstead. The several stage lines connect with this
train, and at Greenport the steamer, Water Lily,
meets this train, for Sag Harbor and the Hamptons."
The November 4, 1878
timetable shows trains leaving Patchogue to Babylon
at 6:30 a.m. and to Long Island City, (Hunter's
Point) at 7:25 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. No arrival time of
any trains was shown, so no complaint could be made
of a train being late. Patchogue was the eastern
terminal at this time, and it was not until 1881
that the road was extended east from Patchogue.
The Advance for 1883
carries an ad of the Patchogue and Port Jefferson
Stage Line which reads as follows, "On and after
October 19, 1883, the Patchogue and Port Jefferson
Stage will run on Tuesdays and Fridays as follows:
Leave Patchogue at 8:48 a.m., arriving at Medford at
8:57 a.m. and Port Jefferson at 11:30 a.m. (The time
shown at Medford is evidently a misprint). Parties
wishing to reach Medford or cross the Island either
way on other days, can be accommodated by notifying
the proprietor at Patchogue. A. D. Terry, Prop."
In 1882 an
advertisement of the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson
Steamboat Co., showed the steamer, Favorite, with H.
G. Davis, master, leaving Port Jefferson daily at 8
a.m. and returning from Bridgeport at 3 p.m. Round
trip fares on Friday, 50 cents.
In 1882 the Advance
ran an ad for Thomas S. Heatley of real estate for
sale as follows; "A neat dwelling with five acres of
land, partly under cultivation, fruit trees and
necessary outbuildings, within one mile of Holbrook
and three of Sayville, price $500."
"Three hundred acres of
good land in Middle Island with timber on it.
Price in lots of 100 acres or more $3 per acre."
"Fifteen acres of land
partly cultivated, with old house, good well and
fruit trees, near Bellport station, price $350."