Railroad Sign for Fairfield, Conn.
Age: 19th C.
Maker: Boston Sign Co
Marks: Boston Sign Co.
Description: This sign is made of carved wood with painted letters and gilded. There are four drilled holes, one at each corner, made so the sign can be easily hung. The word "Fairfield" is written in gold while the background is light blue. To the bottom right are the words "Boston Sign Co," also gilded. The reverse of the sign is painted white, but otherwise featureless. Original surfaces.
Size: H. 6.75x W. 24.0x D. 0.75"
Weight: 2lbs
Condition: Much of the blue paint beneath the word "Fairfield has been worn away, revealing the rough texture of the wood beneath it.
History: The east-bound station, is brick and was built in 1882. It replaced a station burned by a fire, and "is typical of the substantial brick stations built at small-town stops throughout the state in the period. Whereas earlier stations had been small wood-frame buildings, often in a picturesque Gothic or Italianate style, the stations of the 1880s were brick" to be fire-resistant and were larger to accommodate larger waiting areas and other amenities. They were "well-built but utilitarian" structures.West-bound stationThe west-bound station, on the other hand, "stands as an excellent example of the New Haven Railroad's 1890s passenger facilities" reflecting changed priorities. It is a wooden structure.The stations as a pair were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.According to the 1988 NRHP application:The Fairfield railway stations are significant as reminders of the important role of railroad passenger service in the historical development of Fairfield, as artifacts of the New Haven Railroad, a company that virtually monopolized the state's public transportation at the end of the 19th century, and as well-preserved examples of small-town station architecture.The 0.7-acre (0.28 ha) listed area was defined to include the two stations and their immediate surroundings, but to exclude a passenger cross-over and stairway, and to exclude associated parking areas.