Map
Framed railroad map from ca. 1874 of the Stony Brook Railroad. It was printed on a 5.5″ x 3″ envelope. Businesses are also highlighted from West Chelmsford to Forge Village. It originally belonged to Allan Cameron Sargent (1859-1952) of Graniteville in Westford. The railroad played a key part in the town’s shift from purely agricultural to more industrial economy, particularly worsted mills. Allan’s father, Charles Grandison (1819-1878), specifically came to Westford in 1854 to begin manufacture of woolen mill machinery, which later focused on industrial textile drying. C.G. Sargents and Sons existed until 1990.
The Stony Brook Railroad line is still in operation today. For most of its existence, this part of the line was operated by the B&M Railroad. In the 1980s, B&M was bought out by Guilford Transportation (Later Pan Am Railways), but the Stony Brook line still existed separately as a subsidiary until 2022. Pan Am Railways was then bought out by CSX Transportation, which ended Stony Brook’s corporate existence in the merger.
W.2014.28.1