This project will revitalize our rural PA town and region and save a historic railroad building, once the center of the community. With your support, we will renovate the 1849 railroad station in Nicholson into a community/visitors center and a gateway to the Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway. The amount requested will be used to leverage state/federal funding for the rehabilitation phase of the project. Thank you for your help to encourage successful economic development and preserve history.
Rural Northeastern Pennsylvania, like most of rural America, has seen the exodus of residents and jobs over the past several decades. Compounding this loss is the current economic crisis. The Nicholson Heritage Association has an opportunity to save an historic railroad station, one of only a few that date that far back still in existence in the United States, while encouraging regional economic revitalization.
As a community center for residents to gather, visitors center to promote tourism, and gateway to the Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway, this project will provide jobs during the renovation phase. The final rehabilitated station will encourage visitors to the region, thus increasing the number of patrons to local businesses, including restaurants and retail stores. The Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway is designated portions (37.3 miles) of Route 92 in Wyoming and Susquehanna Counties.
The project will save and protect one of the oldest railroad stations in the U.S. and provide long-term economic stability to the region of about 20,000 through the promotion of tourism. The Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway highlights the natural and man-made beauty of Northeastern Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains to attract visitors; from the breathtaking views of Fall Foliage to the imposing grandeur of the Tunkhannock Viaduct in Nicholson and the Starrucca Viaduct in Lanesboro.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
