Laurel

Laurel, originally Franklinville, was a station stop along the Greenport Branch of the Long Island Rail Road in Laurel, New York. History The first depot was built in the hamlet of Franklinville. The area was renamed after securing a post office in February 1898. The name had to be changed as there already was a Franklinville in Cattaraugus County, NY. The residents voted to choose the name "Laurel" after the local lake. The station is first mentioned in the Gazetteer of the State of New York in 1872, so it was likely constructed around that time. In light of the farming, gardening, small fruit raising, and cultivation of root crops, the Franklinville freight depot was established by 1872. The building was renovated in the summer of 1879 to afford better accommodations for eventual passenger service. It was reported in 1887 that the total number of barrels of cauliflower carted from the depot was 3,762. More regular passenger service appears on timetables in April 1891, then disappears only to reappear in September 1892. The service again disappears but reappears in June 1894. It is listed as Franklinville as late as Employee Timetable #3 from June 1897, when the superintendent of the LIRR ordered that names be the same as the postal jurisdiction. In the fall of 1895, new interior floors and new roof shingles were installed as well as new platform planks. With the opening of the Laurel Post Office, the name changed and by the summer of 1898, timetables reflected the modifications with Franklinville remaining in parentheses. Thereafter it was simply Laurel. A new shack style depot replaced the 1870s structure in 1901. In 1910, the small wooden building was the setting for a controversy between the LIRR and the Post Office as to who should haul the mail from the station because of the location of the depot’s entry. Tape measure revealed that it was the railroad’s responsibility. However, a second door was then cut into the depot making it the Post Office’s obligation.