For Immediate Release:
August 4, 2026

County Commissioners purchase old train station in Freehold Borough with plans to make it
Henry Hudson Trail visitor center

FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners has acquired a vacant historic train station in Freehold Borough and plans to convert the building into a visitor center for the nearby Henry Hudson Trail.

“The County closed on the purchase of a former train station on Jackson Street in Freehold Borough in mid-July,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone. “The Henry Hudson Trail is one of the most popular destinations in the Monmouth County Park System and our long-term plan is to convert this historic building into a visitor center for the trail. The center will include restrooms, a community room, and historic exhibits, all in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation.”

“The train station was constructed in 1900 as the passenger depot for the Central Railroad of New Jersey’s Freehold line,” said Commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System. “While the building has undergone periodic alterations over the years, it retains much of its original architectural integrity. Located near the Henry Hudson Trail’s Southern Extension, the station sits along a four-mile section of trail that runs from Center Street in Freehold to Big Brook Park in Marlboro. The trail resumes at Station Road in Marlboro and continues another five miles to Church Street in Matawan. Future plans call for linking these two sections and ultimately connecting them to the trail’s original northern segment, which extends from Aberdeen Township to Highlands.”

The paved, 10-foot-wide, 24-mile-long Henry Hudson Trail is a former railroad right-of-way. The trail is relatively flat and travels through man-made and natural environments. Much of the trail is tree-lined, though some parts have views of surrounding wetlands, streams and fields.

For news and alerts from Monmouth County, go to www.visitmonmouth.com or follow @MonmouthGovNJ on Facebook X and Instagram.

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