NICHOLSON, Pa. — The DL&W was a railroad connecting the Lackawanna Valley to upstate New York and New York City, and the first depot built along the railroad in 1849 was in Wyoming County, Nicholson to be exact.
"It's got a lot of history. The railroad is the main history and the main reason there is a Nicholson," said Marion Sweet, Nicholson Heritage Association.
Now, two centuries later, the original station is being restored and will soon be the Nicholson Tourism Center, a place where photographs and other area artifacts will be on display for locals and visitors to see. The exterior of the building is just about done, even painted its original colors.
"That was very important to us that it was back to the original colors. We could have done it anything, but when you're looking at these colors, they are kind of bright," Sweet said.
Bright, yes, but red and green were the colors of all the depots on the DL&W railroad, a fitting tribute, because the foot traffic created when the station was built before Nicholson even had a name is said to be the reason the borough exists.
"When people saw everybody was coming toward the railroad, they started flocking up this way before they created a Nicholson," Sweet explained.
Members of the Nicholson Heritage Association might be most excited for the original ticket window that has been restored.
"When you're a historian that is so special because you don't get to see that type of thing. Through all the years I've gone through everything, I look around. The town is so different," Sweet said.
Construction has been delayed because of the pandemic, but once inside work is complete, the artifacts and photographs will be moved in and the Nicholson Tourism Center will be open to the public.
"Sharing it with people and getting them to know the history of the town and help preserve our little town," said Sweet.
A little town, with a whole lot of history.