West Jersey Train Depot

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This is a photo of the West Jersey Train Depot, which was built in 1863. The main passenger station still exists and is located at 354 Oakwood Avenue, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028. The map coordinates are 39.704524, -75.121168. The structure is currently used by the Glassboro Historical Society as a museum and to host meetings and special events. 

The camera that captured the above photo is facing southeast. The West Jersey Train Depot is on the left. Please see the photos below for additional views of the structure. 

The larger facility was used to haul freight and as a passenger station. In fact, the Depot was one of the first passenger depots in the area. The station included a tunnel that went underneath the tracks, allowing users to cross to the other side without crossing over the tracks. The train tracks next to the West Jersey Depot still exist and are used by freight trains; however, the tracks on the far right are no longer intact. Similarly, the buildings and platforms on the right are no longer there. 

According to Rich Drobil, a Glassboro Historical Society member, the facility was originally used to transport material and products for the area's glass industry. The trains transported wood, coal, oil, and other materials such as food, corn, animal feed, and cedar to make roof shingles. Drobil also stated that Glassboro's transportation needs changed over time, and the West Jersey Train Depot was used to transport people. Drobil states that combined cars were used extensively by the trains that stopped at the West Jersey Depot because combined cars provided room for both passenger seating and storage for passenger belongings.

Over time, the names of the train lines which used the West Jersey Depot changed. The train lines included the West Jersey Railroad, West Jersey, and Seashore Railroad, and finally, became the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line.

In the 1930s, the  Depot provided transportation to students attending the regional high school or the Glassboro Normal School.

Many passengers used the West Jersey Depot to travel to shore destinations such as Cape May, Stone Harbor, and Wildwood. These passengers were often referred to as “shoobies" because they were known to pack their lunch in a shoebox before using the train to go down to the shore for the day. 

According to Drobil, the ability to own a car or take a bus increased in the 1960s. This led to fewer individuals using the train. The West Jersey Train Depot stopped transporting passengers in 1971 but continued to be used for freight until 1976. The structure sat for many years and started to deteriorate. However, the building's historical value was recognized by community activists, and the Borough of Glassboro purchased it in 2002. The Borough and community members worked together to apply for grants to help save the West Jersey Train Depot. A plaque in the Train Depot shares the story and names of the people involved in saving the structure.

By 2015, the renovation was completed, and the Glassboro Historical Society was formed to help preserve Glassboro's history. Today, the historic structure is used by the Glassboro Historical Society as a museum and to host meetings and special events. In 2020, the Glassboro Historical Society applied for and received the National historical landmark status for the West Jersey Train Depot.

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The Glassboro Memory Mapping Project is made possible through the kindness of our community volunteers. Please contact us to contribute information or to help with the project.