Eastport
EASTPORT:
Montauk Branch: Built: 3/1870 as “MORICHES” Station on original Sag
Harbor Branch., moved to Eastport site: 10/18/1881
New stop in service: 10/19/1881. Remodeled: 19_?
Agency still listed in "LIRR Ticket Offices open for sale of
tickets" of 9/12/1955
Agency closed: 19_? Discontinued as station stop: 10/6/58. Moved to
private location after 1963
Research: Dave Keller
Ticket Eastport-Riverhead 8/10/1896
Archive: Brad Phillips
Eastport Station view NE
1906 cancellation postcard eBay
Eastport Station view W 1908
This ticket (above left) issued at
Eastport in 1896, would be for travel on a train westbound from Eastport on
the Montauk branch, heading up the Manorville/Eastport branch which
connection was a short distance west of Eastport station, accessing the east
leg of the wye at Manorville on the Main Line, making the station stop
there, then continuing along the Main Line eastbound to Riverhead, the
county seat. This procedure would be reversed for trains leaving Riverhead,
headed toward Eastport. (Dave Keller data)
LIRR Colton-Geographicus map of 1882 zoom of Manorville Branch
Info: Dave Keller
Eastport Station c.1925
James V. Osborne photo, Dave Keller archive
Eastport Station view N c.1925
Archive: Dave Keller
Eastport Station 1962
Photo/Archive: John Scala
Ex-Eastport Station garage bay - Archive: Wiki
Research: Dave Keller
Farmers' Commission House ad 1921+
A 1920's agriculture ad in a
trade paper advertising the Farmers' Commission House in New York City. This
was the clearing house for many Long Island Duck farmers who formed the
association in 1921 to help stabilize and promote the sale of Long Island
Ducklings. At this time the Long Island Duckling was a menu item at the
finest restaurants, on Cross-Atlantic steamships and in the dining cars of
the major railroads such as the “Broadway Limited” and “20th Century
Limited” passenger trains.
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In the early 1870’s the first
Chinese Peking Ducks in America were imported to New York City. From that
initial stock, a drake and three ducks were bred in Connecticut and found to
be a hearty breed for the New World.
The streams and creeks of Eastern Long Island were ideal for providing
clean, fresh water for ducklings to grow and thrive. Thus, in the 1880’s a
tremendous enterprise of duck “ranching” began on Long Island. The succulent
Long Island Duckling became the height of fine dining on steamships,
railroad dining cars and restaurants in New York City. Our Duckling’s fame
and tender meat spread across the country and World-wide - as far away as
China!
Railroads built specialized stock cars for the transport of poultry. The
cars were similar in design to pig and cow cars but held shelving along the
inner perimeter for the placement of cages holding the feathered stock. A
small room or shanty was built inside the car and a caretaker would ride
with the fowl, caring for them, providing fresh drinking water and feed as
they traveled to market.
At its earliest, the Long Island Duckling traveled live to market in New
York City. Eventually, a growing demand and improved technology lead to the
harvesting of the ducks right at the ranch, their feathers were saved for
down and they were dressed and placed in barrels for shipment to market.
Today’s Long Island Duckling is harvested, dressed and flash frozen,
packaged and shipped to western markets in modern refrigerator trucks.
Info: RMLI
