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mccomb depot railroad museum

National Humanities Council Vice President John Matthews, former McComb Railroad Shop Foreman Edwin Etheridge and Museum Executive Director Winnie Len Howell exchange ideas about the upcoming Smithsonian exhibition.

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Smithsonian exhibition coming to McComb railroad museum

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TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRUDY BERGER The Smithsonian is coming to our backyard in South Mississippi. That’s right, ‘Journey Stories,” a compelling Smithsonian exhibition that shows how our evolving mobility changed a young nation and how transportation made us grow, is coming to the McComb Depot Railroad Museum in the historic McComb Depot District. The colorful and informative exhibition, which is free to attend, will open to the public on Sunday, Oct. 25, and will remain open Mondays through Saturdays until Dec. 8. In “Journey Stories,” the accounts of travelers express the hopes and promises of fresh starts,

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the grim realities of forced migrations and difficult journeys, and the thrills of personal travel. The exhibition is a part of Museum on Main Street, which represents a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the local state humanities councils, in our case, the Mississippi Humanities Council. The logistics necessary to package and distribute these massive productions are handled through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services. The work to obtain “Journey Stories” was initiated some two years ago by Winnie Len Howell, the dedicated volunteer executive director of

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McComb’s Railroad Museum, and another volunteer, Bob Bellipanni. They had to submit a proposal to the Mississippi Humanities Council, which was judged competitively, showing that the Railroad Museum could bring together all the resources within the community, financial and otherwise, critical to ensure the success of such a major endeavor as hosting a Smithsonian exhibition. The McComb Depot Railroad Museum is a worthwhile daytrip, with or without a Smithsonian exhibition. Opened in 2003, the museum represents the culmination of three years hard work by dedicated volunteers to restore the baggage room of the vintage 1901 Illinois Central Depot. Prior to opening the McComb Railroad Museum, Howell, a longtime railroad enthusiast, had joined forces with Edwin Etheridge, the last foreman of the IC Railroad Shop in McComb, to open a Liberty-White Railroad Museum at Percy Quin State Park just south of McComb. That endeavor kindled a desire to see a permanent home for railroad artifacts in a suitable setting in downtown McComb. And nothing could stop the desire of these two determined railroad enthusiasts. Now, six years later, the McComb Depot Railroad Museum is hailed by knowledgeable railroad enthusiasts from all over the country as one of the best, if not the best, collection of rolling stock and artifacts that exists in the country. It is well worth a daytrip to McComb to

Contact the McComb Depot Railroad Museum at www.mcrrmuseum.com or call (601) 684-6487 or (601) 276-3097 to arrange group tours. Admission is free. HOURS OF OPERATION: Noon-4 p.m. Monday-Friday SPECIAL HOURS DURING JOURNEY STORIES: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. MondaySaturday, Oct. 25-Dec. 8 ADDRESS: 108 N. Railroad Blvd., McComb DIRECTIONS: From Interstate 55, take exit 17; proceed east on Delaware Avenue (through five stop lights); proceed through traffic light at intersection of Delaware and Mississippi 51, down Main Street to Railroad Boulevard; turn left onto Railroad Boulevard and park in front of depot, in parking lot on north side, or in garage across street. see the inside exhibits which include a history of McComb, a chronicle of President Teddy Roosevelt’s 1911 visit to the city, aerial photos of the railroad shops, pause to admire the mannequins dressed in period attire on the platform at the end of the room, soak up the oral accounts of men and women who lived and worked on the railroad, and admire the impressive collection of photographs from the famous railroad photographer C.W. Witbeck. Step outside the museum to the train track and visit the 200ton steam locomotive, the only aluminum refrigerator car ever built, climb up in the bright red caboose, view the massive 191ton operational wrecker derrick, and the list goes on. The best thing about this museum is that they are still adding to the collection. There is an endless supply of dedicated retired railroad workers committed to the idea of keeping the spirit and history of railroading alive and well in McComb. So whether you can visit during the Smithsonian

Between the Railroad Museum and the outside train display visitors cross this impressive and oft-visited Brick Memorial constructed entirely with volunteer labor provided by railroad retirees. exhibition or not, put the McComb Depot Railroad Museum on your list of must-see destinations.

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