Old Freehold Borough Train Station To Be Converted Into Visitor Center

FREEHOLD BOROUGH, NJ — A vacant train station in the borough is set to soon be converted into a visitor center for the nearby Henry Hudson Trail, the Board of County Commissioners recently announced.

In mid-July, the county closed on the purchase of the historic former train station on Jackson Street, Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone said.

According to Arnone, the county's long-term plan is to convert the building into a visitor center for the Henry Hudson Trail, which is one of the most popular destinations in the county's Park System.

The center will include restrooms, a community room, and historic exhibits, all in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation.

“The train station was constructed in 1900 as the passenger depot for the Central Railroad of New Jersey’s Freehold line,” said Commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System. “While the building has undergone periodic alterations over the years, it retains much of its original architectural integrity.”

Located near the Henry Hudson Trail's Southern Extension, the station sits along a four-mile section of trail that runs from Center Street in Freehold to Big Brook Park in Marlboro.

The trail resumes at Station Road in Marlboro and continues another five miles to Church Street in Matawan.

Future plans call for linking these two sections and ultimately connecting them to the trail’s original northern segment, which extends from Aberdeen Township to Highlands, Licitra said.

To learn more, you can visit the Monmouth County website.