The railroad facility you see here was established in 1851 as the junction between the Northern Central Railway, which ran from Sunbury, PA to Baltimore, MD, and the Hanover Branch Railroad, which ran from here to Hanover and Gettysburg, PA, to the northwest. The train seen here is on the Northern Central Track. A switch just out of view in front of this train, connected this track to the Hanover Branch, which ran off to the left side of the depot building. The depot building itself was built in 1852, by the Hanover Branch Railroad, and the Northern Central leased a ticket office inside.

This location is quite historic. At least twice during the Civil War, the junction facilities were attacked by Confederate forces. After the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863, this place served as a transfer point for wounded soldiers being sent to hospitals in Baltimore and York. In November of 1863, a train carrying then President Abraham Lincoln made the interchange here as he made his famous trip to Gettysburg for the dedication of the military cemetery there. The well-known Matthew Brady company took photos that day, and some purport to show The Great Emancipator himself standing on the platform in front of the depot. The photos are quite compelling, and when you visit this site, the temptation to stand on that spot and daydream is pretty powerful. Less than two years later, a much more somber train also passed through this location, carrying the body of the slain President on its journey home to Springfield, IL.