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MIDDLETOWN, UNIONVILLE AND WATER GAP RAILROAD COMPANY
Middletown's second railroad was the short line built from here to Unionville. While all the other railroads are gone, the "M & U" as it was later called, still survives as the Middletown & New Jersey.
On Monday evening, February 5, 1866, a "large and enthusiastic" meeting was held at Westtown to discuss building a railroad between Middletown and Deckertown (Sussex, NJ). D.B. Irwin of Middletown was chairman of the meeting. Following speeches in support of the proposal, a committee of ten from each town along the line was appointed to procure subscriptions and make arrangements for a survey of the route. By mid-February, a survey was in progress under the supervision of William W. Reeve. Mr. Reeve's survey notebook survives, by the way, at the Historical Society.
Proponents of the line met again, February 16th at Unionville. Localities along the route were all represented, and the assembly was in favor of building the road "provided the owners of the lands would contribute their just proportion of the proposed cost." J.A. Bonnell of Middletown served as president of the meeting. Jaines N. Pronk, one of Middletown's leading citizens, spoke "at considerable length" in favor of the project. Middletown seemed to be on the verge of becoming a great rail road center, at least on paper. They already had the Erie, the road to Deckertown was being organized, the great New York and Oswego Midland had recently been incorporated, and there was talk of a railroad to Newburgh. The road to Newburgh was never built, but was being hotly agitated at the time.
Pollowing Mr. Pronk's speech, representatives from Deckertown spoke. They were not willing to commit themselves either way, preferring to keep their options open. At the end of the meeting, a committee was appointed to meet with landowners along the route to discuss terms and possible assistance.
When the group next met at Gothic Hall in Middletown on the 24th of February, Mr. Reeve had just recently completed his survey between Middletown and Unionville. Deckertown, it seemed, was temporarily out of the picture. According to Mr. Reeve's report:
"The distance to Unionville was 13 miles and 20 chains (a surveyor's chain equals 66 feet), and the average grade 16 feet to the mile; the most feasible route was south of the Plank Road ( South Plank Road), through Brookfield [slate Hill). The summit on this route was 2-1/2 miles south of Middletown..."