On November 15, 1897, construction began on the trolley system in Port Jervis. The Port Jervis Electric Street Railway Company was organized in 1895 and service began on January 15, 1898. The main line went from Tri-States along East Main Street, Ball Street, Fowler Street, Jersey Avenue, Front Street, Pike Street and West Main Street to Germantown. A second line went down Kingston Avenue. A powerhouse was built at the terminus of the main line at the north end of Germantown. Cars were run from 6 AM to 11:40 PM and the fare was five cents. The line closed in June of 1910, but was reopened a month later as the Port Jervis Traction Company. On November 18, 1924 the trolley lines were abandoned due to poor profitiablity.
On, November 17, 1886, Judge Henry R. Low Middletown, who bought the Port Jervis and Monticello Railroad from George Lea, chartered the Monticello and New York Railroad Company and picked a board of directors which included Wade Buckley (who formed the Orange County Flint Glass Works with Charles Brox), Peter Eli Farnum (who donated the land where the library is and built the Farnum Masonic Building), Judge Obadiah Pellett Howell (who served as Village President), William Henry Nearpass* and William Norris from Port Jervis. They announced the construction of an extension from Monticello to South Fallsburg on the New York Orange and Western and later a branch from Roses Point to Summitville.
*As a side note, Auburn has a collection of letters from Orange Blossom soldiers from Port Jervis writing to William Henry Nearpass that you can view here.
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