Stewartstown: Railway History and Nature

Stewartstown can be explored through two distinct themes: the town’s railway history and a planned wildlife habitat. The Stewartstown Railroad was chartered in 1884 and is one of the oldest continuously operated common-carrier railroads. This gives you a clear focus for planning your trip: you can discover Stewartstown through its railway tradition while also taking in its natural surroundings.

Ride the Rails Through Deer Creek Valley

The Stewartstown Railroad operates a route more than 7.4 miles long from Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, to a connection with the former Northern Central Railway (NCR) in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. It also offers passenger excursions through Deer Creek Valley. The journey passes through hilly, wooded countryside, so the valley’s surroundings are part of the railway experience, along with the railroad itself.

Among the railroad’s distinctive vehicles is the historic 1943 Plymouth switcher locomotive “Mighty-Mo.” If you are interested in railways, this locomotive is a specific example of the vehicles associated with the Stewartstown Railroad. The combination of a long railway tradition, an operating route and excursion trips gives the town a clearly defined cultural and visitor experience.

The Station and Railway History

Stewartstown Station was built in 1914 as the second station in Stewartstown. It houses a waiting room, a ticket office and a freight house. These features also reveal the different functions of a railway station: the building includes spaces for passengers as well as facilities for freight transport.

The station is one of seven structures belonging to the Stewartstown Railroad that are listed on the National Historic Registry. The Museum Building is next to it. The Stewartstown Railroad acquired this building in 2017; today, it serves as the railroad’s visitor center and headquarters. The building also houses the Friends of Stewartstown Railroad gift shop, modern restrooms and notable items from railway history.

Local History and Nature

The Stewartstown Area Historical Society also focuses on the history of the town and its surroundings. It preserves and restores historic public buildings, structures and monuments associated with the Borough of Stewartstown, York County and the immediately surrounding area. It also collects and exhibits buildings, objects, districts, places, sites and areas that are significant to the history or culture of this area.

Another chapter in the town’s history reaches back to the development of the postal service. By 1828, Stewartstown had its own post office. At the urging of Anthony Stewart and with the support of Judge Adam Ebaugh, the Post Office Department changed the town’s postmark to “Stewartstown” on March 24, 1832.

The nature theme can be found at the Hopewell Area Recreation Complex in Stewartstown. It was designed as a planned wildlife habitat in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission. More than 122 bird species have been documented there. This gives you different interests to consider when planning your trip: railway and local history on the one hand, and the habitat and its documented birdlife on the other.

Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests

If you are looking for a holiday rental in Stewartstown, you can use the focus of your trip as a guide: would you like to take an excursion with the Stewartstown Railroad, are you especially interested in historic buildings and railway history, or does the natural setting of the Hopewell Area Recreation Complex appeal to you? These themes give your accommodation search a specific connection to the area without requiring you to limit your stay to just one of them.

You can also include other places in your destination search: Glen Rock, York, Hanover, New Freedom, Brogue, Shrewsbury, Dillsburg and Red Lion.

Go to the main travel overview: York.