Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Northern Central Railway, 117 N. Front Street, New Freedom, PA.
(720)
117 N. Front Street
New Freedom, PA
17349
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Northern Central Railway posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Northern Central Railway:
Four months had passed since the Battle of Gettysburg, the reputed high-water mark of the Confederacy. President Abraham Lincoln was invited to speak at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg. His remarks were a work in progress on November 18, 1863, as he boarded his five-car train (draped in red, white and blue bunting) in Washington, D.C., for the four-hour ride to Gettysburg. Imagine Lincoln pondering his speech as his train rumbled north on the Northern Central Railway into York County, stopping at Hanover Junction to change trains to the Hanover Branch Railroad and continuing on to Gettysburg.
Some say that Lincoln edited the Gettysburg Address on the train, doffing his black silk top hat and using it as an improvised desk on which to write. Or maybe he wrote on the back of an envelope. There is some sentiment that he simply shared anecdotes and relaxed with his companions, who included Secretary of State William H. Seward.
What is certain is that what would become known as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is today considered one of the greatest speeches in American history. Lincoln’s journey to Gettysburg is one of the many exciting and intriguing York County connections to the Civil War that the Northern Central Railway will bring to life.
Today, the rolling countryside along the old Northern Central route is relatively undeveloped – consistent with how the area would have appeared in the 1860s. The area’s unspoiled beauty belies the hub of purposeful activity that was Hanover Junction during the Civil War. The station saw as many as 30 train stops daily, as the Northern Central carried troops and supplies heading to Washington for service in the Army of the Potomac. After the Battle of Gettysburg, wounded soldiers were transported to hospitals in York and Baltimore.
