Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Transportation

Location

189 Cemetery Rd, Fly Creek, NY 13337, USA

Lat/Long

42.715879298815, -74.984465443254

Grant Recipient

Fly Creek Area Historical Society

In 1903, the Oneonta, Cooperstown and Richfield Springs Railway built a trolley station in Fly Creek, Otsego County, New York. It was one of several stations built by the Oneonta, Cooperstown and Richfield Springs Railway at the time and plans for the station buildings were made by Orin Finch, a local architect. The stations built in Fly Creek, Laurens and Hartwick were identical, all being the same size and style. They were divided into a passenger room, restrooms, ticket office and freight room. They were also fitted with plumbing and connected to the local water systems. At the time the station in Fly Creek was built, the railway went from Oneonta to Richfield Springs. By 1906, the railway had been extended and was then named the Oneonta and Mohawk Valley Railroad, with the electric trolley carrying passengers, freight, and mail from Oneonta to Mohawk in Herkimer County.

By 1941, the railway, then known as the Southern New York Railway, was abandoned. It had been operating at a loss, partly attributed to the advent of automobiles and trucks. By August of that year, the trolley rails and wire were used for scrap metal, with the copper and steel being sold and repurposed. In 1990, the trolley station in Fly Creek was restored and used as a private law office, and as of 2022, the trolley station was still in use as private office space for local businesses.