(rshsdepot) St. Louis (MO) Union Station

["James Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

-From the Jefferson City (MO) News Tribune...

Wednesday, March 21, 2001

New museum traces history of St. Louis Union Station

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- It wasn't always a big shopping mall with a hotel.

A new museum at Union Station in St. Louis traces the history of the city's
landmark. The Memories Museum opened last week and admission is free to the
public.

Various displays trace the station's colorful history.

When the station opened in 1894, it was the largest rail terminal in the
country. Its heyday was during the early 1940s, when the cavernous station
was swarming with military personnel. Rail travel began to decline when
commercial airlines and the family car became the transportation of choice.

The last train left Union Station on Oct. 31, 1978. The building reopened in
1985 after a $150 million restoration. It is now home to a Hyatt Regency
hotel and dozens of specialty shops.

Visiting the museum recently was Charles Keilty, 74, of St. Louis. His
earliest recollection of Union Station was as an apprehensive youngster in
1944, waiting with his buddies to board a train for Great Lakes naval boot
training.

"All I can remember was that it was big and crowded," Keilty said.

In 1950, Keilty returned to Union Station to depart for the Korean War. His
memory was the same: "Big and crowded."

The museum features display cases with artifacts ranging from elegant china
used on diners to the polished buttons worn on the uniforms of ticket takers
and Pullman attendants.

At one time, rail terminals were centers of local commerce. One display
lists the duties of a station agent -- issuing tickets, checking baggage,
selling travel insurance, sending and receiving Western Union telegrams and
shipping items by Railway Express.

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