{"nrhp_refnum":"78000422","name":"Chatham Railroad Depot","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"153 Depot Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chatham","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.68576610100007,"lon":-69.96177120699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1887 railroad passenger depot at 153 Depot Road on the outskirts of Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, built by David Howes for the Chatham Railroad Company and the Old Colony Railroad Company. It now houses the Chatham Railroad Museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the only remaining railroad station on Cape Cod in its original condition. It is also a good example of late 19th century Queen Anne/Stick Style architecture. The rail line boosted tourism and commerce and helped shift Chatham's economy away from salt water trades and agriculture.","narrative":"Built in 1887, this small railroad depot on Depot Road in Chatham is the sole survivor of a larger complex that once included a freight house, engine house, car house and tool shed. David Howes constructed the 1 1/2 story, gable-roofed building in the Queen Anne/Stick Style, with clapboard and flat-board sheathing, bracketed eaves, cedar shingles and a hexagonal tower on the rear elevation. The tower was slightly altered in 1900. The line connected Chatham to the Old Colony Railroad at Harwich and helped expand tourism and shipping, shifting the town's economy away from salt water trades and agriculture. Passenger service ended in the 1920s and freight in the 1930s, and the Chatham company went bankrupt in 1937. After a 1957-58 move to demolish the depot, it was bought in 1959 and opened as a museum in 1960. It is regarded as the only Cape Cod station remaining in original condition.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"David Howes, Builder","architectural_style":"Queen Anne/Stick Style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Houses the Chatham Railroad Museum, opened in July 1960; owned by the Town of Chatham; condition checked as good and the building is on its original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.473316-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/95/7939/63793995/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000422.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000422/5efb23a8fb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000422/5efb23a8fb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Thomas Kelley","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chatham_Railroad_Depot.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas Kelley</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chatham_Railroad_Depot.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793995","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_station_(Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5087701"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/chatham-railroad-depot-78000422/"}