So I headed on over to West Townsend to check this mystery out. (Stopping to take current photos of the extant depots at Groton and Townsend Center.)
As it turns out, the building in question is very hard to photograph when there is snow on the ground. It's right on Rte 119, which is a major commuting road. There was a constant stream of traffic that just would not let up. Worse, there was absolutely no place to park. Just wasn't going to happen. (Amazing how different a place can be when you actually get there as opposed to looking at it on a map.) One car after another without a break no matter how long you cared to wait, and nothing remotely resembling a place to safely pull over. But I wasn't about to give up. No, Sir.
I went to Plan B.
Plan B was to drive back and forth down Rte 119 in front of this place a few times, snapping photos as I passed, until I managed to get the shot. :-)
And get the shot I did. Not perfect, but it will do just fine for now. Here's a view:
More often than not, when I check out a site to see if there is an extant depot- it's obvious right away what the deal is. But in this instance it sure didn't work out that way. In fact, this one is a bit of a head scratcher.
As soon as I saw this building, I recalled the e-mail back and forth between me and the fellow from whom I bought the postcard in the first place:
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Hello George,
That's very very interesting. What is it that makes you think this was the depot? There were three in Townsend. The address of this garage is called "Townsend". That depot is standing, and is not the one in the postcard. This does look a little like Townsend Harbor, but the postcard isn't quite right- plus it doesn't say the garage is in Townsend Harbor. Which leaves West Townsend. I don't know what that looked like, but the postcard doesn't say West Townsend.
Interesting, and I just wondered what makes you suspect it was a depot?
-Steve Fisk
i shall have to correct my listing. i believe this garage is in west Townsend, and the building is still standing next to the old b&m tracks.this was a depot when the line ran from ayer to Greenville,n.h. , i believe.
-George
Really interesting. But what specifically makes you think it was a depot, George?
i, at one time, sold a post card of this depot. i have a railroad map of new england that shows the depot at this location. its now patton,s garage, i believe. don,t know anyone on the townsend historical society. i,m a member of the pepperell society, and other members believe that this was the b&m depot. george
Thank you very much. I'm sure going to look into it.
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Well, sure enough, the building has a sign on it that says "Patton's Garage". The funny thing is, the building I photographed looks a little like BOTH the depot and the garage, but it's not quite right for either one. But I can't rule out either one at this point. So I'm going to ask for some help in analyzing the clues.
Below are the other photos I took of the mystery building. (Click on a thumbnail for the full size image.)
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More clues have come to light as well. I just noticed that Gary has posted another photo of the depot on his website, courtesy Buddy Winiarz. (Buddy is awesome. Thanks!)
In addition, I asked local rail historian Conrad Ekstrom what he thought, and he sent me still another photo of West Townsend. (Conrad, you the man!)
So what do you think? Is the building currently on Rte 119 in Townsend the former Boston & Maine Depot? Or is it the garage depicted in my antique postcard? Neither? BOTH?
Any comments or observations would be most appreciated. I can be reached here----> 