In 1868, the
Hicksville and Syosset Railroad, a subsidiary of the
Long Island Rail Road extended their line to
Northport, Unlike the stations in
Cold Spring Harbor, and
Huntington which were bypassed after both towns had arguments with
Oliver Charlick over the locations of those stations, Northport station was located in the village at what is now the lumber yard at 219 Laurel Avenue (just north of what is now
New York State Route 25A). However, in 1873, the
Smithtown and Port Jefferson Railroad opened from a mile south of Northport to
Port Jefferson, which included another station called
New Northport Station that was actually in East Northport. turning the old line into Northport into the
Northport Branch, the result of another argument between Charlick and Northport. Old Northport Station was abandoned on October 17, 1899, and the Northport Branch was used as a freight line throughout much of the 20th Century. After losing rail passenger service in downtown Northport, and seeking the same benefits of trolleys further west in
Huntington, the Northport Traction Company was established by the LIRR on April 17, 1902. The line began at "Northport East Station" and ran along Larkfield Road to the fork in the road between Laurel Road and Vernon Valley Road, where it turned northwest down Laurel Road. Crossing Fort Salonga Road (now NY 25A) onto Laurel Avenue the trolley passed the site of the old Northport Station. Approaching Main Street, it used a right of way between 23 and 25 Laurel Avenue, and emerged between 438 and 444 Main Street, where it took a left turn onto Main Street. It continued west to Cherry (now Woodbine) Avenue. From there the line took a short southbound turn along Cherry Avenue before making a right turn into a car barn at Northport Harbor, near what is today Northport Memorial Park. As with many trolley lines throughout the country, the use of the service began to decline at the end of
World War I, due to the cost of the war and the rise in the use of automobiles. Therefore, the LIRR prepared to remove involvement with trolleys, and in 1924 the line was abandoned. Part of the
HART H40 bus route uses the route of the former trolley line. The remnants of the line can still be found along some streets, especially Main Street, which includes buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. ==References==