Some pictures of the Ramsey Journal Building

Last week's post that started off about Malcolm Furlow and quickly digressed into another E. L. Moore story stimulated a lot of discussion in the comments section about Moore's Ramsey Journal Building, both prototype and model.

Martin did some research and noted that the prototype was built in 1896. A 1979 fire caused it to be rebuilt in 1980, which likely explains the different 2nd floor, and maybe the missing clock tower (more on the disappearing clock tower below).

I realized I had a few images of the building and that it might be interesting to post them in one place to see how the structure has changed over the years.

Snipped from RMC July '63

E. L. Moore noted in his article that he only came across this photo on the right when he was just about finished his model. He had been using the Don Wallworth painting we'll discuss next as his primary reference.

The photo on the right was snipped from a much larger one that appeared in the article Station Stop on the Erie Past & Present - Ramsey that ran in the July '63 issue of RMC. The article's unidentified writer notes that the photo dates from around 1898, and that the tower on top of the building - the clock tower in the model and kit - was long gone by the time RMC moved in not long before the article was written. In his construction article Moore notes he took artistic license when he put clocks in that tower. So, the obvious question: Did the building have a clock(s) in the tower? I see circular indentations up there, but maybe there's heraldry in that space, not a clock. It looks rather clock-free.

From RMC Dec '64

The image on the right is snipped from the centrefold painting called "Ramsey Depot - 1905" that appeared in the Dec '64 issue of RMC. You can see the depot mentioned in the title in the complete painting, but in this snippet I've removed it to focus on the Ramsey Journal Building. I'm going to state the obvious - for reasons of excessive thoroughness :-) - and assume this is what the building looked like in 1905, 9 years after construction.

The painting was done by Don  Wallworth, and on page 35 of that issue there's a brief biographical note about him. I searched for him on the internet, but was only able to find this obituary.

RMC notes that although Mr. Wallworth had been painting for a few years when this one was published, it was "his first railroad painting to appear anywhere in color", and that it "was done in designers colors or tempera."

In his construction article E. L. Moore notes he used this painting as the reference for his model.

Is there a clock in that painted tower? It's a little obscure.

From Postcards Of Historical Ramsey, NJ.

Martin found this image. I've snipped the portion showing the Ramsey Journal Building from the larger image of Main St., and converted the picture to black and white. The source notes the picture dates from 1908.

As with the 1898 photo, you can clearly see that E. L. Moore's model is just of the end section.

I don't see a clock in that tower circle.

From E. L. Moore Archives

This is a photo of the model shot by E. L. Moore for use in his construction article that appeared in the Dec '67 issue of RMC. He submitted the typescript on 13 August 1967, soon after he had finished the model in late July 1967. As I noted earlier he used the Wallworth painting as his reference material.

Snipped from RMC Mar '83

This image was snipped from a larger one that appeared in the Jan '83 50th anniversary issue of RMC.

It's not mentioned when this photo was taken other than sometime when RMC was headquartered there. Based on that, my guess would be it's from sometime in the mid '60s (that portion of parked car in the photo looks familiar, but I can't place it)*. It is noted in the magazine that, 

"Following Penn's retirement, the new publisher, Hal Carstens, moved the headquarters to 6 E. Main St. in Ramsey, to a venerable Victorian structure later immortalized by an E. L. Moore article and a subsequent kit from AHM. Only a portion of the building was modeled by E. L., but it included the part occupied by RMC, which overlooked the Erie mainline."

This information was reiterated in RMC's Mar 2023 90th anniversary issue.

It's pretty clear the clocktower - maybe we should just call it the tower and drop the clock reference - is gone, and some new windows have been installed.

Snipped from the box art for AHM kit #5819

This image - which is slightly distorted - is snipped from the box art of AHM kit #5819, Ramsey Journal Building. The kit was based on the E. L. Moore project of the same name. I believe the kit was released in either 1968 or 1969.

Sourced from Google Street View (taken Sept 2008)

Beginning in Sept 2008 Google Street View has a record of how the building has looked since then. You can see in this inaugural image that the second floor is quite different than that of the original. Likely, as Martin noted, due to the 1979 fire and subsequent restoration in 1980.

Sourced from Google Street View (taken Oct 2021)

According to the Google Street View images from Sept 2008 to Oct 2021, the building hasn't changed over those years, but the tenants have.

No doubt there are other photos still out there, so if you come across any, please let me know.

*[10 May 2023 update: Vince informs me that the photo was likely taken no earlier than 1972 given the possible date of manufacture of the locomotive.]