(rshsdepot) Parkville, MO

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From KCCommunityNews.com.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Railroad museum set to debut in Parkville

By Jared Hoffmann
Thursday, April 10, 2008 1:23 AM CDT

It  has been many years since the Parkville train depot last served as a 
station for  traveling railway passengers, but the structure will soon come alive 
again with  a visual homage to the railroad’s past.
 
From 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, the initial phase of the long-awaited  
railroad museum will be unveiled to the public. Inside, attendees will view a  
detailed timeline, historic photos and numerous relics from an era when the 
city  bustled with passenger railway traffic.
 
Jim McCall, one of several museum committee members, said the railroad  
museum concept was initially discussed about a decade ago. After the flood of  
1993, a federal grant was acquired to refurbish the badly damaged building, with  
a portion of the funds dedicated for the creation of a museum. But the concept 
 could not come to fruition without proper security, staffing and insurance 
in  place. McCall said once the Chamber of Commerce took office in the building 
in  2005, those provisions were met and the project was finally able to  
proceed.
 
“It’s been a long time coming,” McCall said. “This is phase one of what is  
going to be a great attraction for the city. It will provide a very nice 
display  of the history of the train in Parkville.”
 
McCall said discussion was also under way for a second phase of additions  to 
the museum. The potential additions include a model train suspended from the  
ceiling, a large mural of the city, an outdoor platform to view passing 
trains  and additional artifact displays.
 
Carolyn Elwess, Park University archivist and committee member, said the  
current building was constructed in 1889 to replace the original depot, which  
had deteriorated over the years. She said the creation of the museum was the  
most fitting way to secure the building’s history.
 
“People have been talking about a museum here for at least a decade,”  
Elwess said. “We hope it will generate a lot of interest.”
 
Elwess said the museum would house rotating displays that would alternate  
between more than 100 artifacts that had been loaned to the committee. She said  
the committee would also consider including additional items and photos from  
residents in the future. And in order to keep the museum operating 
efficiently,  volunteer assistance was also welcome.
 
For more information, call the Parkville Chamber of Commerce at  587-2700.
 
Staff writer Jared Hoffmann can be reached at 389-6636 or 
_jaredhoffmann_@_npgco.com_ (mailto:jaredhoffmann@npgco.com) . 



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