Mayville, NY

The Pennsylvania Railroad station in Mayville, NY. flickr.com.

Mayville is the county seat of Chautauqua County, NY and was a station on the Pennsylvania Railroad‘s Chautauqua Branch, formerly the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad. It was also served by the Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad, and the Chautauqua Traction interurban electric railroad.

A map showing the routes of the Pennsylvania Railroad (red), Chautauqua Traction Company (green) and Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad (blue) in Mayville, NY. Author’s illustration based on a Discover GIS Data NY LIDAR map.

Pennsylvania Railroad

A view of the track side of the original Pennsylvania Railroad Station in Mayville, NY. Note the boxcar from the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway which operated from 1895 to 1900 before being absorbed into the Pennsylvania Railroad. John Pete Harford post/Facebook.

The Buffalo and Oil Creek Cross Cut Rail Road Company built the line from Brocton, NY to Corry, PA through Mayville in 1866. The line was later operated by the Buffalo, Corry and Pittsburgh Rail Road Company (1867 – 1879), the Dunkirk, Chautauqua Lake and Pittsburgh Railroad (1879 – 1879), the Buffalo, Chautauqua Lake and Pittsburgh Railway (1879 – 1879), the Pittsburgh, Titusville and Buffalo Railway (1879 – 1880), the Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Western Railroad Company (1880 – 1883), the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad (1883 – 1887), the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (1887 – 1895), the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway (1895 – 1900), the Pennsylvania Railroad (1900 – 1968), the Penn Central Railroad (1968 – 1967), and Conrail (1976 – 1977). The line was abandoned and scrapped in June 1977.

This wooden structure burned in 1923 and was replaced in 1925 by a single-story brick building, which is still standing and is currently the home of the Mayville Depot Museum.

A 2020 photo showing the former Pennsylvania Railroad station in Mayville, NY. ny.existingstations.com.

Pennsylvania Railroad Station Photographs

An 1874 photo showing Water Street in Mayville, NY. The passenger station of the Buffalo, Corry and Pittsburgh Rail Road Company (later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad) on the shores of Chautauqua Lake is on the left. Chautauqua Town Historical Society/Facebook.

A circa 1895 photo looking southwest at the old wooden Mayville station on the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (later the Pennsylvania Railroad). To the l of the station are the Chautauqua Lake Ice Houses where Lakeside Park is now located. Chautauqua Town Historical Society/Facebook.

A pre-1875 stereograph photo showing the Buffalo, Corry and Pittsburgh Rail Road Company (which eventually become part of the Pennsylvania Railroad) station on the shore of Chautauqua Lake in Mayville, NY. Chautauqua Town Historical Society/Facebook.

A 2020 photo showing the former Pennsylvania Railroad station in Mayville, NY. ny.existingstations.com.

Undated postcard looking north-east up Depot Street in Mayville, NY. The Pennsylvania Railroad station and water tank are visible on the right side of the street. Note the Chautauqua Traction Company tracks on the shoulder of the street. ebay.com.

The Pennsylvania Railroad station in Mayville, NY. flickr.com.

A photo looking northeast on Water Street in Mayville, NY. The Pennsylvania Railroad station is on the right and a Chautauqua Traction Company trolley is on the curve where Water Street turned into South Erie Street. Chautauqua Township Historical Society/Facebook.

The passenger car used as a temporary Pennsylvania Railroad station in Mayville, NY after the 1923 fire and prior to the opening of the new station in 1925. Chautauqua Township Historical Society/Facebook.

A view looking south toward the Pennsylvania Railroad station in Mayville, NY. Chautauqua Lake is out of sight on the left side of the photo behind the train. Date unknown but likely mid-1890s based on the type of locomotive. Photo posted to the Facebook “Chautauqua County Views” group.

A view from the road in Mayville, NY looking past the Pennsylvania Railroad station towards the dock on Chautauqua Lake where steamships would tie up. Postcard posted on the Facebook “Chautauqua County Views” page.

A view of the Pennsylvania Railroad station in Mayville, NY as seen from a boat docked at the pier unto Chautauqua Lake. Postcard found on the Facebook “Chautauqua County Views” group.

A view of the Pennsylvania Railroad station in Mayville, NY from Chautauqua Lake. Postcard from the author’s collection.

A drawing of the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad (later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad) station in Mayville, NY from the 1880s. Found on the Facebook “Chautauqua County Views” group.

A 1915 postcard showing the Pennsylvania Railroad station and pier on Chautauqua Lake in Mayville, NY. The station shown in the postcard was replaced in 1925 with a single-story brick station. ebay.com.

A photo taken from the end of the boat dock in Mayville, NY with the original station in the left background, sometime prior to 1923 when the original station burned. Chautauqua Town Historical Society/Facebook.

Other Pennsylvania Railroad Photographs from Mayville

A Pennsylvania Railroad train in Mayville, NY in the 1940s. Photo found on the Facebook “Chautauqua County Views” group.

Three steamboats on Chautauqua Lake at the dock beside railroad station in Mayville, NY. Two ice houses (in the top right of the photo) are located where Lakeside Park currently exists. The photo is likely from the 1880s or 1890s based on the locomotive. Chautauqua Township Historical Society/Facebook.

Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-0 locomotive number 41 leading a northbound train at the station in Mayville, NY. The WNY&P was acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1895 so this photo is earlier than that, but I don’t know exactly when. Photo found on the Facebook “Chautauqua County Views” group.

Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad

Mayville was served by a succession of railroads that ran along the east side of Chautauqua Lake. These railroads ran from Jamestown to Mayville and later Westfield. The first of these railroads to reach Mayville was the Chautauqua Lake Railway which opened from Jamestown to Mayville Jct. on July 25, 1887 with trackage rights over 1.2 miles of the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad into Mayville. At Mayville, it connected with the former Mayville Extension Railroad. This allowed the Chautauqua Lake Railway to take travelers from Jamestown to the Chautauqua Assembly Grounds.

On October 17, 1894 the company was reorganized into the Jamestown and Lake Erie Railway. The company reorganized again on January 1, 1899 and emerged as the Jamestown and Chautauqua Railway.

The Jamestown, Chautauqua and Lake Erie Railway was chartered on September 25, 1900 for the purpose of constructing an 11.25 mile line from the northern terminus of the Jamestown and Chautauqua Railway in Mayville to Westfield. The company controlled the Jamestown and Chautauqua Railroad through ownership of its stock. The company also operated a fleet of steamboats on Chautauqua Lake.

The Jamestown, Chautauqua and Lake Erie was unprofitable, went into receivership, and was purchased in December 1913 by the Broadhead interests, owners of the Jamestown Street Railway and the Chautauqua Traction Company. On December 8, 1913 the Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad took over the line and began electrifying the main line from Westfield to Jamestown. During the electrification project the company built a new station about mile east of Mayville and abandoned their 1.2 miles of trackage rights over the Pennsylvania Railroad into the village.

Passenger operations ended November 30, 1947 when the line was de-electrified. The company then began diesel powered freight service using two 7-ton GE locomotives which operated until January 21, 1950 (sometimes listed as January 20th) when the company ceased operations.

A view of the rear of Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad car 302 at the station in Mayville, NY around 1945. The truck on the right side of the car is delivering and picking up mail from the train. Photo found on eBay.

Jamestown Westfield and Northwestern Railroad car 303 at the station in Mayville, NY in 1947. Photo posted by the Chautauqua Township Historical Society on their Facebook page.

Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad car 312 at the station at the foot of East Chautauqua Street in Mayville, NY in 1946. Photo posted by the Chautauqua Township Historical Society on Facebook.

Chautauqua Traction Company

Chautauqua Traction car 107 in Mayville, NY. ebay.com.

Mayville was also served by the Chautauqua Traction Company electric interurban line which ran along the west side of the lake, through downtown Mayville, and then north to Westfield and Barcelona on the shores of Lake Erie. The company was chartered in 1903 to run from Lakewood (west of Jamestown) to Mayville. Newspaper accounts state that the line from Lakeville to Chautauqua Assembly was completed by late June 1904, that the line from Chautauqua to Mayville had been graded half-way by the middle of July. The line reached Mayville later that summer and regular service was established. In 1906 the company built a line along Portage Road between Mayville and Westfield.

By the late 1910s business on the railroad had decreased significantly and the road was barely making money. The segment between Westfield and Mayville was abandoned in 1925. By early 1926 the company announced its intention to shut down the railroad. There were numerous efforts to save the railroad, including the idea of having Chautauqua Institution contribute money to a fund to operate the line. In the end, none of them came to fruition and the company shut down in April 1926.

Clippings

Maps

Map of the Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad from the June 12, 1915 issue of Electric Railway Journal. Google Books.

An 1881 map of Mayville, NY. Unknown source.

An 1895 map showing the location of the Pennsylvania Railroad depot in Mayville, NY. The Depot Street shown in the map is now known as Water Street. Author’s illustration.

Detail of a 1952 Pennsylvania Railroad Central Region map showing the lines in Western New York. Pennsylvania Railroad. 1952. Found on Multimodalways.com.

Timetables

A timetable effective on November 24, 1890 on the Chautauqua Lake Railway. Found on eBay.

Timetable of trains on the Jamestown and Lake Erie Railway effective December 12, 1894. Dunkirk [NY] Evening Observer, 1 April 1895, p. 4, NYS Historic Newspapers.

The Travelers Guide showing departures of trains on different railroad (Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, Buffalo, Corry and Pittsburgh Railroad, Erie Railway, and New York Central Railroad) from various cities and towns (Buffalo, Dunkirk, Brocton, Mayville, and Forestville) in Western New York. Chautauqua Farmer. Forestville, NY. March 5, 1870.

April 19, 1876 timetable on the Buffalo, Corry and Pittsburgh Railroad. Westfield (NY) Republican. April 19, 1876.

Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad, or potentially the Buffalo, Chautauqua Lake and Pittsburg Railroad, timetable effective November 21, 1878. Though titled the “Chautauqua Lake R. R.” the later railroad with that name ran on a completely different route. Westfield Republican. Westfield, NY. January 8, 1879

A January 8, 1879 timetable of trains running on the Buffalo, Chautauqua Lake and Pittsburgh Railway. Westfield [NY] Republican, 8 January 1879, p. 4, NYS Historic Newspapers

A timetable for the Buffalo, Chautauqua Lake and Pittsburgh Railway effective August 4, 1879. The Chautauqua News. Sherman, NY. December 24, 1879.

A timetable showing the schedule of trains from Buffalo on the Pittsburgh, Titusville and Buffalo Railway effective July 11, 1880. Buffalo (NY) Morning Express. 17 August 1880 from nyshistoricnewspapers.org.

A June 8, 1884 timetable of trains leaving Buffalo, NY on the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad. The Evening Republic. Buffalo, NY. June 20, 1884.

A timetable on the Pittsburgh Division of the Buffalo, New York and Pittsburgh Railroad effective November 23, 1884. Silver Creek (NY) Local. February 6, 1885.

Timetable of trains departing Sherman, NY on the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad effective November 10, 1889. The Chautauqua News. Sherman, NY. June 11, 1890.

A June 14, 1891 timetable of trains on the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad Pittsburg Division. Traveler’s Official Guide, June 1891. Google Books.

A timetable, effective January 1, 1903, on the Jamestown, Chautauqua and Lake Erie Railway. Source Unknown.

The timetable, effective November 15, 1903, and listing for the Jamestown, Chautauqua and Lake Erie Railway in the January 1904 issue of the “Official Guide to the Railways.” Official Guide to the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States, January 1904. Found on Google Books.

A timetable of trains on the Pennsylvania Railroad Chautauqua Branch effective November 29, 1903. Travelers Official Guide of the Railway and Steam Navigation Lines, February 1904. Found on Google Books.

A January 1, 1904 timetable on the Jamestown, Chautauqua and Lake Erie Railway. Westfield [NY] Republican, 13 January 1904, p. 6, NYS Historic Newspapers.

An abbreviated timetable for the Jamestown, Chautauqua and Lake Erie Railway effective June 29, 1906. The Chautauqua News, Sherman, NY, 25 September 1906, p. 8, NYS Historic Newspapers.

The listing for the Jamestown, Chautauqua and Lake Erie Railway in the January 1908 issue of the “Official Guide to the Railways.” Official Guide to the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States, January 1908. Found on Google Books.

Timetable of trains depart from Mayville, NY on the Chautauqua Traction Company, Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad, and the Chautauqua branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Mayville [NY] Sentinel, 13 March 1925, p. 6, NYS Historic Newspapers.