Railroads played an important role in Canaan's history.

The Housatonic Railroad opened the way to faster travel with its north-south route in 1841 followed by the opening of an east-west route in 1871 which was known as the Connecticut Western Railroad.

Canaan grew rapidly due to its being a crossroad of these two rail lines.

The Old Railroad Station, erected in 1871, still stands and is being renovated because of a fire in 2001.

It will again be used as a commercial center and museum for the Connecticut Railroad Historical Association.

Freight service is still available by the Housatonic Railroad between Danbury, CT and Pittsfield, MA.

CANAAN -- A historical organization plans to buy what's left of Canaan's historic Union Station and rebuild the structure that once was the centerpiece of this Northwest Corner town.

In October 2001, an arson fire heavily damaged the L-shaped station, built in 1872 where two rail lines crossed. Firefighters managed to save the section of station fronting the north-south tracks. The east-west section and the three-story tower were destroyed.

The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association has signed a contract to buy the remaining station and property and plans to close the deal by mid-January, said Douglas E. Humes, Canaan's first selectman and the association vice president. The group will work to raise money to pay for the purchase and restoration, which it is estimated will cost $2.5 million.

"We're quite thrilled about this," Humes said Thursday. "That's a focal point of downtown Canaan. We felt that someone had to step up to the plate. Here we are."

The association plans to have retail space in a portion of the rebuilt station, as well as a museum, he said.

Lyle Kloke, the historical association's secretary, said the group will seek state and federal assistance on the project, as well as solicit private funds. The association, established in 1967, is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to promoting railroad history.

For more information about the Connecticut Railroad Historical Society, contact it at P.O. Box 255, Canaan, CT 06018.

Although several stations remain intact along the Housatonic line between New Milford and Canaan, the Union Station was by far the most impressive. Its tower provided a view down each rail line. The station housed freight-handling areas, a passenger waiting room, ticket office and other railroad facilities.

It also served as the impetus for development of the village of Canaan. Before the railroad arrived, there wasn't much there.

The man who ran the station - the station agent - was often a well-known and popular citizen. In the days before telephones and radio, the station agent was the first to receive word of important news, thanks to his telegraph link to the outside world.

As railroad service deteriorated along the line in the '60s and '70s, the station was used less and less. The last passenger train left the station in 1971.

Paul Ramunni, one of the current owners, bought the station in 1984. He and a partner restored the structure and had plans to develop a caboose motel at the site, but later abandoned the proposal.

Ramunni, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, had hoped to spearhead his own effort to rebuild the station.

This fall, after a series of frustrations, he announced that he was giving up and that he would offer for sale the portion of the station that firefighters had saved and its 1-acre lot.

From The Connecticut Guide, 1935

The town of North Canaan, which includes Canaan village, was settled in 1738, and cut off from the town of Canaan in 1858. It consists of a plain along the Housatonic, with the valley of Blackberry River coming in from the east, bordered by picturesque hills. There are extensive limestone deposits, left by the sea, which have been quarried for lime and marble. The manufacture of pig iron was for many years the most important industry. One of the largest of the Borden condensed milk plants is located here.

North Canaan is dominated by the sharp peak of Canaan Mountain, which thrusts out northwest into the valley, towering above it about a thousand feet. The trail up to the top of the cliffs may be reached by climbing from U. S. 7 over Church Hill, or by taking Blackberry River Rd. and cutting through the fields just west of a grove of pine. There is a remarkable view up and down the Housatonic Valley, and across to Bear Mt. and the Taconics. The valley below is floored by limestone, and dotted with schist and quartzite ridges.

As we approach Canaan Village on U. S. 7, the Old Donglas Place lies 1/4 mile to the west across the R. R. The most interesting of the landmarks in the village is the Lawrence House, on the west side of Elm St. (U. S. 7) built by Capt. Isaac Lawrence in 1751 and originally used as a tavern. The traveler should also note the fine Gothic Clock Tower recentily built for Christ Episcopal Church. The pre-Revolutionary Gillette Place lies 3/4 mile northwest of the village. The site of the Barnes Lime Kilns, from which, in early days lime was hauled by team as far as Hartford, is 1 and 1/2 miles northeast on R. 124, near the Massachusetts line.

Going east from the village by R. 101. we pass on the north one of the plants of the New England Lime Corporation. Blackberry River supplied power for the former iron industry. By taking the older road south of the stream, we come in about 2 miles to the house of Squire Samuel Forbes, one of the pioneer ironmasters, built in 1770 or a few years later. Nearby is the site of his forge and slitting mill. Ethan Allen acted as bookkeeper in this plant for several years, before going to Vermont. In East Canaan, where we join R. 101, we have a good Colonial church, built in 1822, and the Nathaniel Stevens House, dating from 1786. The Allyndale Quarry, which supplied the marble for the State Capital at Hartford, lies 3/4 mile north of East Canaan, on the right.

Campbell Falls, though 100 yards over the Massachusetts line, is protected by an Interstate Park. The brook plunges about 30 feet through a cleft it has worn in the tilted rock strata, and is at its best in high water, In the picnic grounds below the Falls, on the Connecticut side (Norfolk,) there is a fine stand of old pine and hemlock. To reach Campbell Falls, take the road from East Canaan to Canaan Valley and drive northeast on a rather poor road, which continues to Norfolk.

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