GREENSBURG RAILROAD STATION RESTORATION

In the middle of the 19th century, railroads were bringing the nation closer together than ever before, and Greensburg was part of this growing phenomenon. On December 10, 1852, the first train from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia stopped in Greensburg. The Pennsylvania Railroad, seeing that the community would be an important rail stop, built a small station to serve both passengers and freight. This building was used until 1910 when the booming coal industry and increased commerce in the region necessitated a better station. In 1911 this became a reality with the construction of the present Greensburg Railroad Station.

For four decades the new station was used heavily by passengers and freight haulers. In the late 1940's and early 1950's, however, America began to depend more on automobile and truck transportation than rail passage. In time, the Penn Central Railroad, who owned the property in the 1960's, sold the Greensburg Station, and over a period of years this beautiful structure was allowed to fail into disrepair.

In 1977 Amtrak restored passenger service. The same year the station was declared an historic landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Purchased by the Westmoreland Trust in 1993, plans were developed to restore the Greensburg Station to a renewed elegance. A new restaurant, gift shop, information center, and office space are currently becoming realities from those plans. This scene by Len Laurich depicts a portion of the recent outside restoration and construction work in progress.