The Town the Trains Built: How the Railroad Named Fanwood

Most New Jersey towns grew organically around a church, a river, or a crossroads. Fanwood is different.

This small borough (just 1.3 square miles) didn’t just grow near the railroad tracks—it was literally invented by the railroad company. Due to a strange legal requirement in the 19th century, a locomotive company suddenly found itself in the real estate business, designing a Victorian suburban paradise to lure commuters out of New York City.

Here is how a detour in the tracks created the Borough of Fanwood.

The Problem with the Hill

The story begins in 1831 with the Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad. Their goal was to connect the Pennsylvania coal fields to New York. By 1837, the tracks had reached the area we now call Fanwood.

However, 1830s steam engines were weak. They couldn’t climb the grade of the local hills. To compensate, the engineers laid the tracks further north (along what is now Midway Avenue), creating a flatter, but longer, route. A stop was established at Martine Avenue and named “Scotch Plains Station.”

The “Accidental” Real Estate Developers

Fast forward to 1847. The original railroad went bankrupt and was reorganized as the powerful Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ).

By the 1860s, locomotive technology had improved. The trains were strong enough to climb the hill, and the CRRNJ wanted to straighten the line to save time. They proposed moving the tracks south to their current location.

The Catch: The State of New Jersey granted the charter for the new route on one condition: The railroad had to purchase all the land situated between the old tracks (Midway Ave) and the new tracks.

Suddenly, the railroad found itself owning 350 acres of empty farmland. Not wanting the land to go to waste, they created the Central New Jersey Land Improvement Company. They laid out winding, picturesque streets, planted trees, and marketed a new development called “Fanwood Park” to wealthy New Yorkers looking for a country escape.

Who Was Fanny Wood?

So, where did the name come from?

The development needed a name more inviting than “Scotch Plains Station.” CRRNJ President John Taylor Johnston chose the name Fanwood.

It was named in honor of Fanny Wood, a frequent visitor to the area and the daughter of a prominent railroad official. Fanny was a journalist and author, and the name evoked the rustic, wooded aesthetic the railroad was trying to sell to potential homebuyers.

The Oldest Station in the County

To anchor this new town, the railroad built a stunning new station in 1874.

Designed in the Victorian Stick Style with Gothic Revival flourishes, the station is an architectural gem.

• The Look: It features deep overhanging eaves, pointed-arch windows, and decorative “gingerbread” woodwork.
• The Survival: While similar stations in Asbury Park and Perth Amboy were demolished, the Fanwood station survived. Today, it stands as the oldest remaining train station in Union County.

A Commuter’s Paradise

The plan worked. The railroad’s promise of “fast, frequent, and punctual” trains to Jersey City (where passengers ferried to Manhattan) turned the farm fields into a bustling suburb. In 1895, the residents of this railroad-created village voted to separate from the Township of Fanwood (now Scotch Plains) to form their own independent borough.

Fanwood Station Today

In 1965, the station was sold to the Borough of Fanwood, saving it from modernization or demolition.

Today, the station is the centerpiece of the Fanwood Park Historic District (listed on the National Register in 2004). Fully restored, it serves as a community center, a museum, and the home of the Fanwood Historic Preservation Commission.

It is a rare place where you can stand on a modern NJ Transit platform, look at a building from 1874, and realize that without that building, the town around you wouldn’t exist.

If You Visit

• Location: 230 North Avenue, Fanwood, NJ 07023.
• The Museum: The station houses the Fanwood Museum, which is open to the public on specific dates (usually the first Sunday of the month).
• Best Time to Go: The station is a highlight of Union County’s “Four Centuries in a Weekend” event, typically held in October, where historic sites across the county open their doors for tours.

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For More Information

• Fanwood Historic Preservation Commission (www.fanwoodnj.org)