Eaton Hall Station 1902
"Then" Image - King Twp. Archives

The scene now from the same spot.
"Now" Image - Jeff Laidlaw

The station - there it is! Behind the addition.

Text - Lionel Salisbury
The Eaton Hall Railway Station is the first in our series of historical photographs of King Township. The station was built by the Schomberg and Aurora Railway, which operated from 1902 to 1927 and was located on Concession #3 of King Township, north of King Road. The entrance is on the east side of Dufferin Street, across from Seneca College.

Our intention was to try to find the exact location where the original photographer stood, and take a picture of the site as it looks now.We expected that the building would be on the west side of the tracks to provide easy access from Dufferin Street , so it seemed likely that the old picture would have been taken looking to the north.

When you are looking for an old building you never know what you will find. It may have become somebody's house, or you might be looking for a foundation, or maybe just some rubble. A house inside the Dufferin Street entrance seemed to resemble the old station and the lot plan of this site showed the house as parallel to the old rail line and not the street. However, it was 50 feet from the track easement, so it could not be the station. Besides, the owner said the house had been an old Masonic Temple from King City.

Down the lane, we found some enticing clues. There was a 5' high concrete pillar with wires out the top. Probably it was an old base for a light standard.We found some weathered lettering on the pillar, but all that could be made out was the letter "A". Could it have been from "S & A" railway maybe? There was some fencing with heavy wrought-iron fittings. Definitely
not your standard farm fencing!

At the end of the lane we stood facing north, next to a rather low, one story structure looking for the ruins of the station. Jeff then noticed something at the side of this building. "That's a drain trough, likely from a wash stand." said Jeff. "That would be called a "Sluice". Nobody has built one of those things for
a hundred years.Maybe this was the old railway station! "

Although it seemed to be the right age, and the right shape, the building was too big. On the south side though, there is a portion of the structure that is the right size! We believe this section to be the original station, and that it had been added onto while in use by the railroad. It seems that the original photographer had actually been facing south, not north. We
had been standing in the right place, looking in the wrong direction.

If you have an old photo that would make a good "Then" picture please contact us at www.noblehouseproductions.net