(rshsdepot) Hornell, NY

[jdent1_@_optonline.net]

Kids get first look at depot museum: Railroad memorabilia will be ready for 
public display later this summer
By KYLE A. TOROK - STAFF WRITER 
HORNELL - The city's as yet unopened railroad museum at Hornell Erie Depot 
got its first visit last week during a second-grade field trip.
City Archivist Collette Cornish and Hornell Partners for Growth Executive 
Director June Shearer-Pieklo, along with several Bryant School teachers and 
amateur historians, opened the doors to the approximately 60 kids Thursday. The 
youngsters had the city's first look at the newly-crafted display cases, as well 
as the city archives.
"I called up everyone I knew," said Cornish, who organized the visit. "They 
were looking for a walking field trip because the budget has been cut so much."
Cornish added all she could to the field trip, bringing the multi-volume city 
archives out of city hall's cellars as well. She and volunteers took turns 
giving seven-minute lectures on their contents, and showing kids their 
photographs and documents.
City Planner Heather Reynolds has been in charge of the museum's development, 
collecting, cataloging and organizing some 700 artifacts donated or loaned to 
the city. She and Cornish arranged the depot displays in early May; she hopes 
to open the museum's doors to the public sometime this summer.
Unable to display trains' large equipment, the still-unnamed museum will 
focus generally on the railroad's history, and specifically on the people who made 
it historic.
Once open, the city will establish a committee to oversee the museum's 
operation and maintenance. The other large room of the depot remains vacant, 
awaiting David Shults' toy soldier collection.
Hornell Evening Tribune


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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