page_title: Boyce, Virginia
section_title: Railroad
hierarchical_section_title: Boyce, Virginia / Town history / Railroad
caption_attribution_description: Boyce, Virginia, railway station
context_page_description: Boyce is a town in Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 589 at the 2010 census, up from 426 at the 2000 census.
context_section_description: The Norfolk & Western Railway passes through the center of the business portion of the town, which at the time of the building of the railroad in 1881 was dense woods. The Norfolk & Western Railway erected a large station in the town in 1912.
  The Shenandoah Valley Railroad (known as the Norfolk and Western for many years, now known as the Norfolk Southern) was constructed in Clarke County in 1879. It started in Hagerstown, Maryland, and went south to Roanoke, Virginia. The railroad opened from Hagerstown to Berryville on October 1, 1879.
  The town of Boyce, located 6 miles (10 km) southwest of Berryville, began in 1881 with the arrival of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. Located at the railroad crossing with the Millwood Turnpike, Boyce remains much as it was in the early 20th century. The town was named after Colonel Upton L. Boyce, who lived at the nearby Tuleyries estate and who was very influential in persuading the railroad to pass through Clarke County.
  Previous to the current railroad station, there was a much smaller one located on the same side of the tracks but right along the Millwood Turnpike. The railroad was apparently upgrading some of their railroad stations during the early 1910s and were going to replace the original station in Boyce. The new building was to be a small wooden one, and sit along the west side of the tracks at its intersection with the Millwood Turnpike. According to local tradition and some historical accounts, the citizens of Boyce (and neighboring Millwood) wanted a larger, more ornate building and also wanted it to be located on the east side of the tracks. They apparently raised money on their own and gave it to the Norfolk and Western to upgrade to a larger station.
  A December 11, 1912, article in The Clarke Courier entitled "New Depot for Boyce" states:
  "The public spirit of the citizens of Boyce has again scored a victory. Some time ago the N & W Railway Company announced that it would erect a new passenger station at Boyce.
  "The plans submitted by the railway company did not entirely suit the Boyce people, and they at once started a movement to secure a better piece of ground in order that a more pretentious station might be erected.
  "The old buildings have been removed from the Page-Manning lot, and work on a new and commodious passenger station, of concrete construction, will be started at once.
  "This is the spirit which builds cities.
  "The Boyce people are quick to go down in their pockets and contribute to any and every cause which will advance their town...."
  The train station was completed in late 1913. A November 26, 1913, article in The Clarke Courier states:
  "The new N & W station, with fine concrete platforms, and promenade, long train shed, electric-lighted throughout, with all modern conveniences for the comfort of patrons, is a great addition to the town."
  In a December 23, 1914, article in The Clarke Courier, entitled "The Hustling Town of Boyce," the railroad station is described:
  "...water is now piped to the magnificent railroad station. The handsome railroad station of tile and concrete construction with its 400 feet (120 m) of train shed, and 540 feet (160 m) of concrete platform, with its 3 acres (12,000 m²) of grounds and tracks, is a noble response by the officials of the railway to the requests of our people, and furnishes ample railroad facilities."
  In 1913, George B. Harrison, a town councilman, wrote about Boyce and described the train station in the following manner:
  "The Norfolk and Western Railway in kind response to the request of the community has erected a magnificent station of latest design and material with spacious grounds and facilities, fully equipped and provided with electric light and water."
  Undeniably, the Boyce train station is a surprisingly large building for a community the size of Boyce. It was much bigger than the Berryville (county seat) station, constructed at about the same time. The reason for such an elegant station can probably be attributed to the wealth of many of the local citizens around Boyce and Millwood. Early in the twe
caption: Former Boyce Railroad Station
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