Metuchen Collectible Figures

Each of the following figures, produced by Hometowne Collectibles, is $16 each, and can be purchased at Marafiki (20 New Street, Metuchen, 732-902-6300) or by contacting us at collectibles@boroughimprovementleague.org .  

Our newest figure, released in October 2012, is the Metuchen Railroad Station

 In 1836, the first train came through the village of Metuchen on the newly laid line of the New Jersey Railroad, and schoolchildren were given an extra hour at noontime to see the amazing “iron horse” make its way down the tracks. The first station was near New Durham Road and Middlesex Avenue, but soon another was built at Main Street and Woodbridge Avenue, which residents considered to be the center of town. Other 19th century village stations included the Robinvale Station at Grove Avenue and the two-story Lake Avenue Station, built 1870. In 1871 the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) took over the line, and the Easton and Amboy Railroad also laid tracks via a deep cut roughly parallel to Amboy Avenue. Later operated by the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) and now the Middlesex Greenway, that line had a station and connection with the PRR at Lake Avenue. In 1888, the PRR’s Lake Avenue station was pulled down, the tracks were elevated over Main Street, and the current station was built for just over $6600 using a standard PRR design, “#2665B, Brick Station and Dwelling.” Originally, the station had a slate roof, cresting, and an exterior with half-timbering, brick, clapboard, and scalloped shingles. It received a Determination of Eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, was renovated in 1979, and remains at the center of a thriving community on NJ TRANSIT’s Northeast Corridor, with over 4000 passengers and 100 train stops daily.

Visit Marafiki today to buy yours! All sales benefit the preservation of the historic Old Franklin Schoolhouse!

Figures Available
Old Franklin Schoolhouse
Metuchen Borough Hall
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Freedom Plaza
Metuchen Fire Department and Washington Hose Co.
St. Francis Cathedral
Forum Theatre
Metuchen Library
Centenary Methodist Church - NEW in 2011!
Metuchen Post Office - NEW in 2011!
Metuchen Railroad Station - NEW in 2012!

The Post Office and Methodist Church are NEW in October 2011!