Plaque Unveiled At Historic Lake Hopatcong Train Station

HOPATCONG, NJ — Members of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation and New Jersey Preservation Trust joined New Jersey officials, as well as Morris and Sussex County and local dignitaries, to dedicate a plaque at the historic Lake Hopatcong Train Station on Tuesday.

The bronze plaque recognizes the more than $1.2 million in funding from the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund dedicated to upkeep for the historic station, with the first funds given in 2015.

On Tuesday, Preserve New Jersey Historic Trust’s Executive Director Dorothy Guzzo and Glenn Ceponis, a Principal Historic Preservation Specialist, presented a ceremonial check, representing a recent grant given for $254,879.

Preserve New Jersey Historic Trust awarded a $150,000 grant in 2016 for the station.

In 2020, Morris County's Historic Trust Fund gave $331,632 in grant monies to be used at the building for site restoration, Brian T. Murray, Morris County's spokesperson, told Patch on Tuesday.

The building, which was built in 1911, shuttled train passengers to the many recreational activities at Lake Hopatcong, some staying at hotels and cottages. In this different era, some passengers would cruise away after leaving the station on Lake Hopatcong steamboats or ride down the Morris Canal. Others would take a trolley to Bertrand Island, to enjoy the amusement park there.

“With your support, we have been able to breathe new life into this historic building and have created a space for the community to connect around New Jersey’s largest lake,” said Kyle Richter, Executive Director of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation.

“Your continued support has allowed us to enter into the final phase of rehabilitation of the Lake Hopatcong Station, allowing for restoration of the exterior of the building,” Richter also said.

“It is 110 years ago, and if you had been here and met a veteran back then, there was a good chance he had served in the Civil War,” said Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen H. Shaw. “World War I was three years in the future, that’s how old this building is.”

Shaw also named some other historic happenings on the timeline, like 1911 having been the same year that the New York Public Library opened its doors; and Henry Ford’s assembly line hadn’t started building cars yet.

“That helps me keep in perspective how old this building is,” Shaw added.

Others who attended the event were: Lake Hopatcong Foundation Chairman Marty Kane, State Assemblywomen BettyLou DeCroce and Aura Dunn, Assistant Morris County Administrator Deena Leary, Sussex County Administrator Gregory Poff II, Roxbury Mayor Robert DeFillippo, Director of the Morris County Office of Planning & Preservation Joseph Barilla, Ray Chang of Morris County’s Historic Preservation Program and staff members of Preserve New Jersey Historic Trust.

As part of the preservation efforts with the building, which was part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and the Lackawanna Cutoff project, funding helped to acquire the glazed green roof tiles from Lodowici Roof Tiles in Ohio, where the originals were procured.

The building’s “Tudor Revival/Jacobethan” look resembles its sister station in Mountain Lakes, with the detailed concrete, similar stonework and terra cotta.

The station houses a main area, ticket office and luggage room.

Since 2003, there have been over 482 grants approved exceeding $43.3 million from the Preservation Trust Fund, to benefit 117 historical properties within Morris County.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com