The trains still stop there, but the Landing train station is no longer for passengers; rather, these days it serves shoppers of antiques and those who are redecorating their homes. Then: Lake Hopatcong's rise as a northeast resort was the result of two major railroads serving and promoting the lake. The Morris and Essex Railroad, later acquired by the Lackawanna Railroad, completed tracks through Landing in the 1850s. At that early date, there was insufficient business for a stop at Lake Hopatcong. Passengers traveling to Lake Hopatcong disembarked at Drakesville (now Ledgewood) and boarded a stagecoach to the lake. A stop was added at Landing in the 1880s, after the Central Railroad of New Jersey's successful introduction to passenger service to Nolan's Point in 1882. Because the railroad at Landing ran parallel to the Morris Canal, visitors arriving by rail could cross the platform and board steamboats, which would transport them via the canal to destinations on Lake Hopatcong. The original small station at Landing was replaced by a grand elevated station in 1911. In the 1920s and 1930s, the station at Landing became the predominant rail link to Lake Hopatcong.
Now: The Morris Canal was abandoned in the 1920s. The area where the canal was located at Landing Station is now a parking lot. The old Lackawanna tracks continue in use at Landing, now operated by New Jersey Transit. Although the elevated walkways and elevators fell into poor condition and were torn down in 1982, the station building, located on Landing Road, was sold and has since had various commercial occupants in the ensuing years. It has recently been beautifully renovated by its current occupant, Carriage House Restoration and Interior Design.
These and dozens of other "Then and Now" images and stories are available in an updated version of Lake Hopatcong: Then and Now by Marty Kane, president of the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum. Purchase that and other lake-related history books here on the museum's website. And see hundreds of photos and other historical paraphernalia at the museum, which is located in Hopatcong State Park.
