Historic Train Station Owners Vow to Rebuild After Fire

The owners of the historic Sparta train station that was destroyed in an accidential Labor Day fire, have committed to replacing the structure with a historically accurate replica.

“It was a treasure,“ William Dermody IV said Thursday.

The site is owned by Station Holdings, a non-profit company created by the Dermody family that owns several businesses in Sparta.

Dermody said the family created a website to tell the story of the station. It is located at www.spartatrainstation.com.

The station was built by the New York, Susquehanna Railroad & Western in 1881. A companion water tower was not damaged in the fire and still stands.

Dermody said an architect with experience in historic restorations would be brought in to design a replacement.

Police earlier this month said the fire was not suspicious and focused on an exterior electrical box as a potential starting point. Dermody said the building’s insurer was conducting its own probe.

Dermody’s family purchased the station in 2008 from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The station is adjacent to a contaminated Superfund site, the former location of the A.O. Polymer company.

The website describes the station in this manner: “The Sparta Train Station was a witness to arrivals and departures of people and activities through the years. During the past 25 years, the Station had seen some tough times: the abandoned offices of a defunct chemical company, a forgotten piece of a cleanup project by the Environmental Protection Agency, the graffiti and litter of modern times. It was also the hopeful relic of many local history buffs and a favorite subject of artists who captured its charm in photographs, oil paintings and watercolors.”

The family had planned to use the station as the centerpiece of a restoration and revitalization of the area, Dermody said.

Before the fire, the 130-year-old station had been stabilized with a new roof and the application of a primer on the exterior wood. The rotted substructure was also rebuilt.

Further, “we constructed handicap access, drainage and a parking lot. We installed light fixtures, fencing, and underground utilities to preserve the 1800's character of the building. Finally we have commissioned windows that match the original windows; they are scheduled for delivery in the next few weeks,” the website said.

The family intended to dedicate the rebuilt train station to William E. Dermody, Jr., father and grandfather of the current company owners.

William E. Dermody, Jr. moved to Sparta in 1954 and served as mayor and was dedicated to  the community.

" 'Pop' was pivotal in improvements and projects like the Sparta Public Library, the Sparta Ambulance Squad building, Knoll Heights Village and the Reverend Brown School,” the family said.