Sunday, November 23, 2008 12:00 AM CST
Local railroad history is alive in the 1870 depot, complete with model trains
By DAWN SCHABBING, Features Writer
dschabbing@jg-tc.com
Entering the historic Greenup Depot, the scene is warm and quiet. But by listening closely, the sounds of trains long ago can still be heard.
The soft recording of a moving train, with its whistle blowing, is just a part of the special effects for the depot, which now serves as a museum at 213 W. Cumberland St. in downtown Greenup.
The building has moved three times to what is now believed to be its permanent home.
Walls are lined with bits of history on railroads in Cumberland County and America. Railroad tools, lanterns and uniforms are among items displayed.
Jerry Roll, a retired Illinois Department of Transportation employee, oversees the depot, along with Roger Anderson, a Cumberland High School history teacher. Roll said there is plenty of local history in this depot, which was built in 1870 and closed in 1967.
“The building itself is a jewel. It is the only one of its type today,” Anderson said. “And Cumberland County is lucky to have three depots that have been preserved — in Greenup, Toledo and Jewett.”
The depot was first located on the Terre Haute-Vandalia-St. Louis line, which later became the Pennsylvania Railroad.
In 1927, passenger service had died down, and plans to raise the grade of the line through the river bottoms of the Embarras River in Greenup were made. The depot was then moved around the corner to the Peoria-Decatur-Grayville route, which later became the Illinois Central line, Roll said.
In 1973, the Cumberland County Genealogical and Historical Society purchased the depot and moved it to Haughton Park in Greenup. The
society was able to secure the depot for a few dollars, as the railroad had abandoned the line and the depot.
At first, it only served as a meeting room for the society, until the lot on Cumberland Street became available. Then the building was moved for the third time on Oct. 15, 1992. From that was born the railroad and local history museum.
“We know that seven U.S. presidents have come through Greenup, mostly by the railroad,” Anderson said.
One of many artifacts on display is a contract signed by Frank James, brother of Jesse James, who was hired by the Cumberland County Fair Association in 1900 to start horse races for four days. He was paid $120.
The floor plan of the museum includes a waiting room, ticket and telegraphy office, freight and baggage room on the lower level. The upper level includes a reading room about the National Road, which runs through Greenup; and the upper level of the depot is set up to represent the station’s master’s quarters, as it was believed to be in the 1940s.
Today the depot shows artifacts depicting the era from the late 1800s through the 1950s. Several model train scenes are displayed in what once was the baggage room.
Just inside the front door is a waiting room that still displays a schedule of trains from Jan. 20, 1888. A working pot-bellied stove warms the building and its guests, and a checker board game nearby is available for those waiting on a train or visiting the museum today.
Some modern luxuries also afford the depot today, such as a furnace and air-conditioning unit, electric lights, modern plumbing, and a digital command controlled HO model train layout.
“It’s hands-on here. You can come in here and touch and see everything,” Roll said.
The highlight for many visitors is to watch the model trains that move about in the museum. The many scenes are made up of “two lifetimes’ worth” of train sets collected by Anderson and Roll.
The men estimated about 50 to 100 engines and 500 to 600 cars, both G- and N-gauge, are a part of the model train display.
The guest registry shows that visitors from all 50 states and several other nations have stopped at the depot.
Since it moved to the current location on Cumberland Street, more than 17,600 guests have registered.
“Jerry (Roll) and I love this place. It’s kind of a like a big playhouse for us. We get to meet some great people and hear all the railroaders’ stories,” Anderson said.
The upstairs tour allows visitors to see the train master’s housing as it might have been in the 1940s. The quarters have a living room, complete with a Victrola, a master bedroom, and kitchen and dining area.
The project is supported by donations and plenty of sweat equity by volunteers. Some fundraisers are also held to support the museum and any improvements that are needed, Roll said.
The Greenup museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. No admission fee is required, but donations are appreciated.
Contact Dawn Schabbing at dschabbing@jg-tc.com or 238-6864.
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medic57 wrote on Nov 23, 2008 5:01 PM: