ASHLAND RAILROAD STATION MUSEUM

The Ashland Historical Society's newest museum opened in 1999. The building was originally built circa 1869 as a passenger station by the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad. That railroad merged with the Concord Railroad in 1890 to form the Concord & Montreal Railroad. In 1891, the new railroad moved the station onto a new foundation and remodeled it to its present appearance.

The Concord & Montreal Railroad came under the control of the Boston & Maine Railroad in 1895. For decades, the station was the gateway to Ashland and the Squam Lakes region for most travelers. Then, in the middle of the 20th century, the car and the plane supplanted the train. Regular passenger service to Ashland ended in October of 1959. In 1960, the B&M RR sold the station to Joseph Curley. His widow, Vera Curley, generously donated the property to the Ashland Historical Society in 1980.

In 1997-1998, the building was restored and renovated for use as a railroad museum and a meeting place for the Society under ISTEA, a federal aid transportation program administered by the N.H. Department of Transportation. It was dedicated as a museum on June 26, 1999. The museum is one of the best preserved late 19th century railroad stations in New Hampshire, and houses a growing collection of railroad artifacts, pictures, and documents. The local scenic railroad occasionally stops at Ashland during their popular excursions.