Meridian museum celebrates National Train Day
May 10—Meridian Railroad Museum Executive Director Anne McKee is calling all board Saturday as the downtown museum prepares to celebrate National Train Day.
Activities are planned from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the museum, located at 1805 Front Street, next door to Meridian's Union Station. Admission for adults is $5 and free for children ages 16 and under.
National Train Day was started in 2008 by Amtrak as a way to spread awareness about the history of trains in the United States and the advantages of traveling by rail.
"It is a day to celebrate the railroad and its history in Meridian," McKee said of the local celebration of National Train Day. "Without the railroad, Meridian never would have developed to the city status it has, and we would still be called Sowashee Junction."
She said visitors can peruse the museum's railroad artifacts along with three model train village displays, including one that depicts downtown Meridian, the railroad museum and Union Station, as well as scenes from St. Patrick Catholic Church, the Threefoot Hotel, Weidmann's Restaurant and Rose Hill Cemetery.
The model train display, owned by Dr. Richard Abney, is currently on loan to the railroad museum, McKee said.
"It is an exciting time to come out and realize a huge part of Meridian is related to the railroad," she said, "and the railroad is continuing to grow in Meridian."
The museum will have 25 tables of model train memorabilia to sell or trade on Saturday, along with memorabilia from model train vendors coming in from Mobile, Alabama; Gulfport; Mandeville, Louisiana; and Brandon.
Children can ride the rails on the museum's miniature train, McKee said, and anyone interested can walk through old railroad cars that will be open on the track out back of the museum.
Rose Hill Storytellers will be on hand relating stories to the history of downtown Meridian, and 14-year-old Grayson Culpepper will provide musical entertainment.
Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.
