Years ago, the Weiden family of Narrowsburg donated to the Cochecton Preservation Society a vintage wooden egg shipping box that was used to send eggs to their family in NYC via railroad. The box has a hinged lid with a latch that closes with a swivel L-shaped hook. It did not lock. Inside are the flats and egg holders to hold a total of 120 eggs.

Metal egg-shipping boxes didn’t show up until the 1940s. This particular wooden crate shows wear, with multiple layers of waybill labels. The eggs were brought to the Railway Express Agency in Narrowsburg to ship prepaid the same day to “Weiden East 58th Street…”  Wells Fargo and Co. Express would receive the egg box and deliver it to its destination, usually by stagecoach.

This was just one of hundreds of products, each with specialized packing, heading to customers daily along the railroad. The empty containers were shipped back to Narrowsburg for reuse.

The next meeting of the Cochecton Preservation Society, open to all, will be on Tuesday, July 11 at 7 p.m. at 8537 State Rte. 97, Cochecton. There will be free fun and refreshments. “Cochecton Papers” and “Cochecton Papers II” are now available for purchase, $20 each. Call 845/932-8104; email cps12726@gmail.com or visit cochectonpreservationsociety.com.