Utica and Black River Rail Road Co. - Unissued Railway Stock Certificate

Unissued Stock. In relation to this railroad, Holland Patent station is a historic train station located at Holland Patent in Oneida County, New York. It was built in 1890 and is a one-story, rectangular, wood-frame building sheathed in board-and-batten siding. It was built by the Utica and Black River Railroad, later acquired by New York Central. It was used until 1960 and now the line is used by the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 as Holland Patent Railroad Station, and according to a plaque on the building exterior, was renovated in 2003.

Black River & Utica Railroad was incorporated on January 31, 1853. The ground was broken at Utica on August 27, 1853, with a great deal of ceremonym, the distinguished Governor Horatio Seymour making the principal speech. There was a parade with band music and other appropriate festivities. Construction was in the hands of J.S. T. Stranahan of Brooklyn, who fulfilled his task with great expedition. Within two years the lines was completed over the hard rolling country of the upper Canada creek, including the crossing of the deep gully near Trenton Falls by a high trestle to Boonville, 35 miles north from Utica.

In 1857, the Black River & Utica Railroad operated a single passenger train daily between Utica and Boonville. It left Boonville at 8 a.m. and arrived at Utica at 10:20 a.m. Returning it left Utica at 4 p.m. and arrived at Boonville at 6:20 p.m. Seventy-five cents was charged to ride from Utica to Trenton and $1.25 from Utica to Boonville. The road at that time had four locomotives-T.S. Faxton, J. Butterfield, D.C. Jenney and the Boonville. The Faxton hauled the passenger train and a young man from Boonville named Richard Marcy who owned a coal yard in that town was its conductor. He later became distinguished as a politician. In 1858, two passenger trains a day in each direction were operated.

This was due to the growing popularity of Trenton Falls as a resort. Even travelers from Europe made a point of visiting this beautiful place, but even with the traffic to the Falls, the road had its troubles. Despite these, the progressive folk of Black River Valley kept it alive. Finally it was sold under foreclosure proceedings Nov. 2, 1860 to the bond holders, who on May 22, 1861, incorporated the Utica & Black River Railroad Company. It was enlarged on November 16, 1883 and again on March 31, 1886 by consolidation with other railroads.

Under date of April 14, 1886, it was leased to Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad Company. On April 16, 1913, it was consolidated with other companies into the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company. From the time of its reogranization in 1860, throughout all the years of its operation as a separate railroad it prospered, never omiting its six per cent, dividends.

At Utica it had a fine yard and shop facilities adjoining the tracks of the New York Central Railroad, whose passenger station it shared. The reorganized road of the 60's was managed almost wholly by Uticans, John Thorn, Isaac Maynard, Theodore Faxton and John Butterfield and New Yorkers Robert Lenox Kennedy, John J. Kennedy and others. The road's first superintendent was Charles Miller. In 31 years of operation, not a passenger was killed by riding on the Utica & Black River. In its early days, its locomotives, as well as its cars were painted yellow. (From nygenweb.net)

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