FREEHOLD, NJ — The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners has purchased a vacant historic train station in Freehold Borough, with plans to renovate the building as a visitor center for the nearby Henry Hudson Trail.
The County completed the purchase of the former train station on Jackson Street in mid-July, according to Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone.
“The Henry Hudson Trail is one of the most popular destinations in the Monmouth County Park System,” Arnone said. “Our long-term plan is to convert this historic building into a visitor center for the trail.”
Plans for the visitor center include public restrooms, a community room, and exhibits highlighting the site’s railroad history. The renovation will follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation. Commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System, noted that the station was built in 1900 as the passenger depot for the Central Railroad of New Jersey’s Freehold line.
“Although the building has been altered over the years, it still retains much of its original architectural character,” Licitra said.
The station is located near the Southern Extension of the Henry Hudson Trail, along a four-mile section 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. County officials have identified future opportunities to connect these sections and ultimately link them with the trail’s original northern segment, which runs from Aberdeen Township to Highlands. The Henry Hudson Trail is a paved, 10-foot-wide, 24-mile former railroad corridor. Relatively flat and accessible, it travels through both developed and natural areas, including tree-lined stretches, wetlands, streams, and open fields.