MATHESON - A fight to derail the demolition of Matheson’s historic train station is drawing inspiration from Huntsville, where a group saved a similar landmark decades ago.
With the Black River-Matheson train station slated for demolition this year, the township is working with a newly formed steering committee to stop the wrecking ball.
The committee is also talking to people with experience, including a Huntsville resident who helped save her train station, and Timiskaming-Cochrane MPP John Vanthof.
Built in 1916, the brick train station located at 385 Railway St. is scheduled to be replaced with a modern shelter as part of Ontario Northland Railway’s (ONR) plans to reinstate the Northlander passenger rail service.
Matheson resident Barb Cornthwaite is leading the initiative to delay or stop the demolition and preserve the historic building. She said recent developments have been promising, including the council’s willingness to engage with the group.
“I feel like they are really more aware that demolition is not something the townspeople want to see happen. That’s important because they want to represent the voice of the people,” Cornthwaite said.
Their immediate focus is pausing the demolition, she said.
SEE: Community rallying to save Matheson train station
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At the township’s council meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 14), the committee asked for a letter of agreement to designate the station as a building of cultural heritage.
Mayor Dave Dyment and several councillors also agreed to meet with the committee.
“The next steps are the agreement by council to support this, even in principle. And it needs to be a request from council to the Ontario Northland. If they are willing to pause this until after the next council meeting, then it means that there can be an official request from council and they can move it and formally request that,” Cornthwaite said.
If the station is still standing, the committee also plans to make their case to council on Jan. 28. TimminsToday reached out to Ontario Northland regarding a demolition date, but has not received a response.
In an email to the committee on Tuesday, Timiskaming-Cochrane MPP John Vanthof acknowledged the historical importance of the station, noting it’s owned by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC). As a Crown corporation, it's owned by the province but doesn't have the direct oversight that a Ministry has.
“They are run by their own executive teams and not directly by the provincial government,” he wrote.
The ONTC has decommissioned several train stations along its line with different outcomes, Vanthof said.
“This would depend on several factors including the condition of the building and interest in the community. In the case of Temagami and Cobalt, the municipalities got involved to help purchase the buildings,” he wrote.
“The station in Temagami was later transferred to a trust, and the station in Cobalt was sold to the private sector. In both cases, the costs of the maintenance and repurposing of the buildings was prohibitive. The stations in New Liskeard and Swastika were recently torn down. We are not qualified to comment whether it would be feasible to recommission the Matheson station.”
Vanthof offered to present a petition in the legislature on behalf of the committee and is willing “to help in any other way that” he can.
Cornthwaite said the petition is being circulated in-person and has accumulated over 300 signatures.
She noted that while the township is financially strained, the group is working on a plan that balances preservation with feasibility.
Several strategies are being explored.
They are working with the Ontario Historical Society to expedite heritage designation, which could open avenues for funding and allow them to accept donations as a registered not-for-profit.
They are also contacting the Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT) to see if they could take on the project to give out tax receipts for charitable donations.
In the early 2000s, Huntsville was in a similar position to Matheson.
Lucille Frith helped save her community’s train station and is sharing her experiences with Cornthwaite.
Frith, a co-chair of the Northeastern Ontario Rail Network (NEORN) and a longtime rail advocate, said community involvement and acting early are key.
In 2001 Frith collaborated with a group of concerned residents in Huntsville and worked closely with the municipality, which ultimately led to the town purchasing the station from the Canadian National Railway Company.
The group formed a not-for-profit organization and through building key relationships within the community and the dedication of local volunteers, successfully had the station refurbished. A notable collaboration involved students from the town’s high school, who contributed to the project as part of their construction class, Frith said.
“I've spent 10 years working to get the train back and then the 10 years before that, to rehabilitate the Huntsville train station,” she said.
In 2017, the town sold the station, which is now privately owned.
“At any rate, the long and short of it is that the building is still standing, and I do not want to see Matheson’s station touched,” Frith said.
Huntsville’s success is a source of hope for the Matheson crew.
“It’s a tremendous boost of confidence … It wouldn't be the worst-case scenario if we end up with one of those shelters put up along the track beside the station. We just want to keep the station,” she said.
“We really are happy about the Northlander coming to the north. And we'd like to keep these historic stations, keep our historic station, for people to see when they're riding the Northlander.”
