Tag: small-town-america

The Adena Trail, Mount Sterling, Kentucky

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Kentucky is a state known as the Bluegrass State.  Many people know about Kentucky Fried Chicken which was started by a man named Harland Sanders, commonly known as Colonel Sanders, even though he started in a restaurant in the state, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken was opened in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The state is known for its horses, and it has the continuously running sporting event in the world, the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, which is a horse race that is the first race of the Triple Crown.  The state is known for its bourbon, of which there are plenty of bourbon distilleries in the state mainly around the Frankfort and Lexington areas.  You may have heard of My Old Kentucky Home.  It is a real house in Bardstown.  In the city of Bowling Green, you will find the National Corvette Hall of Fame.  Along with Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is run, the city of Louisville is known for the Louisville Slugger bat factory where many baseball bats are made and sold, and you can tour the factory and buy a bat of your own.  You have Mammoth Cave, the largest known cave system in the world.

Then you have the small town of Mount Sterling.  How many of you have ever heard of Mount Sterling, Kentucky?  A small town that is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) east of the city of Lexington, it is named after a small burial mound.  The town itself is small, but it does have the Adena Trail, a short, paved mile long trail that runs through the town south of the main historic district.  The town is small, but it is a special town to visit.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  Small towns are really special.  I am sure that the town of Mount Sterling is a special town.  There is a very big problem.  Mount Sterling is not a railroad town.  Therefore, I find no special reason to visit this town.”

You are right.  Mount Sterling, Kentucky is not a railroad town, and the town has no history with the railroad.  Why visit Mount Sterling, Kentucky?

Like many small towns in the United States of America, Mount Sterling, Kentucky has something special.  It has the downtown historic district where you have shops, cafes, historic architecture, and art.  Just south of the historic district, as mentioned, is a paved trail known as the Adena Trail.  It looks like a nice trail.  You decide to take a walk around.  The trail follows a small creek.  You then notice a structure next to the trail.  As you walk closer, you see that it looks like a train station.  Wait a minute.  This town has never been a railroad town.  Why is this train station here?

The town of Mount Sterling, Kentucky has never been a railroad town, but that did not keep the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway from passing through here.  The Adena trail was built on the old railroad bed.  It is about a mile long so walking the entire trail is easy.  As for the old train station, it was built in 1910 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway as a passenger and freight depot.

As the railroad decline, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was forced to abandon lesser used railroad lines.  Mount Sterling, Kentucky was a victim of the decline.  Railroad service ceased to the town, and the railroad tracks were eventually removed.

Today, the old train station remains, and it is on the National Register of Historical Places.  As for the Adena Trail, it is a paved trail that it easily accessible for wheelchairs.  The train station and Adena Trail is located at the intersection of S. Maysville Street and Railroad Street about a few blocks from U.S. Routes 60 and 460 and Kentucky Route 11.

The next time you here about the town of Mount Sterling, Kentucky, think about a special town where the railroad once served.

Gassaway, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of West Virginia is a state that has so much natural beauty.  It has famous sites like the New River Gorge and the New River Gorge Bridge, the Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park, one of the most photographed mills in the United States of America, the natural spas in Berkeley Springs to include George Washington’s Bathtub where George Washington, well… you probably figured it out what he did here, plus the town of Harpers Ferry, and so much more.  It has its cities like the capital city of Charleston, Beckley, and Morgantown, and its many small towns.  One of these small towns located northeast of Charleston is the town of Gassaway.

Some of you are saying, “Interesting.  I bet the town got its name from the fact that somebody was getting gasoline, but the gasoline got away.”

You are very wrong.  The small town, established in 1905, is named after Henry Gassaway Davis, a West Virginia politician who was nominated for the Vice President of the United States of America in 1904.

Some of you are saying, “It is nice that they named a town after a politician.  There is a very big problem.  This is just a small town that has no railroad.  Therefore, I will not be taking these country roads to this town.”

If you were to ask people if they had ever heard of the town of Gassaway, West Virginia, you would get many strange looks.  The town is often overshadowed by the town of Sutton which is east of Gassaway and is famous for it Bigfoot Festival and museum.

As you approach the town of Gassaway, the very first thing you see it the ‘Welcome to Gassaway’ sign.  Many towns have a welcome sign to greet you as you enter, but you see something interesting.  What do you see?  You see a steam locomotive on the sign.  You continue to drive into the town, and you see an old railroad bridge.  You drive further into the town, and you see an old train station.  You drive to the old train station, and you see a mural with a steam train.  What you do not see is a railroad line.  Well, the railroad line is now a railroad trail.  How did the train station get here?  Today, the town of Gassaway, West Virginia does not look like much, but that was not always the case.

The town of Gassaway, West Virginia was a town built by the railroad.  The Coal and Coke Railway, which ran between Charleston and Elkins, ran through the town of Gassaway, and, in 1914, they built the train station giving passenger train service to the town.  There was also a railroad yard in the town as they changed locomotives in the town as more powerful locomotives were needed to pull the trains to Elkins while locomotives with less power could be used for trains to Charleston.  During its heyday, the town had two hotels, a bank, retail stores, office buildings, and, schools, and churches.  When the railroad went into decline, so did the town.  Railroad service ended and was eventually converted into a rail trail.

As for the train station, it was abandoned for many years, but it was then restored and was put on National Register of Historic Places, and it now serves as an event and meeting space for the town.

The town of Gassaway, West Virginia is four miles west of Interstate 79 on West Virginia Route 4.  The old train station is located on 4th Street one block west of West Virginia Route 4.  It is open available for events like weddings and parties.

The small town of Gassaway may no longer be a railroad town, but the ghosts and the legacy of the railroad remain.

The Mansfield Historical Society and Museum, Mansfield, Missouri

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Missouri is located in the heartland of the United States of America.  It is a state that has so much to offer.  You have the city of Saint Louis, nicknamed the ‘Gateway of the West’.  It is famous for the Gateway Arch, a huge arch that rises over the city that is located on the Mississippi River just south of where the Missouri River flows into it.  The Saint Louis Cardinals, the city’s professional baseball team, is the second most championed team in Major League Baseball.  (The New York Yankees are number one.)  On the opposite side of the state is Kansas City that is mostly in Missouri with sections in the U.S. state of Kansas.  The city is known for being a city of fountains having more fountains that any other city in the nation, and it has been known for its barbeque, but it has been most famous for the Kansas City Chiefs, an American football team that is part of the National Football League.  The state has its small towns.  The most famous small town in the state is Hannibal.  What is famous about Hannibal?  No, it is not named after the famous criminal Hannibal Lector.  It is where the famous author Samuel Clemens, famously known as Mark Twain, grew up, and his famous stories, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was based.  You have Branson, a city kind of known as the Las Vegas of theme parks.  (In case you are wondering, Las Vegas, Nevada is famous for its numerous casinos.)  Then you have the town of Mansfield.

What is special about the small town of Mansfield, Missouri?  As you visit the town of Mansfield, Missouri, it may appear to be an average American town.  It was the home of baseball pitcher Carl Mays, and it was also the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author who gave us Little House on the Prairie which was made into a television series, and her home is open for tours and she is also buried in a cemetery in town.  As you go to the center of the town, it may not appear to be much, but the town was much different in its heyday.

Welcome to the Mansfield Historical Society and Museum.  As you approach the museum, which is also the tourist information center, you will see that it looks like a train station.  Well, it is a replica train station built on the site of the original train station which was demolished.  There is also an old passenger car on the site.

Today, only the main railroad line passes through the town, but the town was once the site of a railroad yard.  The Ava Southern Railroad, a short line railroad, went south to the town of Ava.

You go inside the museum.  Of course, the museum is about the history of Mansfield Missouri, and the different displays are about the life in the town to include the lives of Carl Mays and Laura Ingalls Wilder.  During here time in Mansfield, Laura Ingalls Wilder made much use of the railroad and the train station as she use the railroad to brings many of her goods to the town.  As you look through the exhibits, you will see a photo of Laura Ingalls Wilder attending an event with the driving of the last spike of the Kansas City Ozark and Southern Railroad which later was known as the Ava Southern Railroad.

Mansfield Historical Society and Museum is located at 101 W. North Street in Mansfield, Missouri, one block south of U.S. Business Route 60.  It is open from 10:00am to 3:00pm Monday through Saturday.  (It is closed on Sunday and from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.)  Parking is on site.  Admission is free, but they do take donations.  The museum is on one floor in two different rooms that are wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information about the museum and read more into the historical society at https://mansfieldhistoricalmuseum.com/.

The state of Missouri is nicknamed the ‘Show Me State’.  Allow them to show you the small town of Mansfield.

The Conway Scenic Railroad, North Conway, New Hampshire

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of New Hampshire is one of the six states that make up the region known as New England.  It is a state that has much natural beauty.  Its most famous site was a rock formation that, when seen from a particular direction, had the shape of an old man.  Sadly, the rock face eroded years ago, but you can still visit the site where the rock face once was.  Then you have the world famous Mount Washington, the highest point in the state and it known to have the world’s worst weather.  Another popular thing in the state happens to be… a train ride.

Welcome to the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America.  Why is it called the Conway Scenic Railroad?  As you drive to the town of North Conway, you will begin to see the answer to the question.  The scenery will amaze you, and you will be amazed as you see it from the seat of a train.

You arrive in the town of North Conway, and it is an impressive small town.  Then you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad, and you are totally amazed.  What is amazing you?  The first thing you see when you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad is the train station.  Yes.  Most train excursions leave from train stations, but the North Conway Train Station was built in 1874.  As you look at the old train station, you may find yourself in a different time.  You enter the ticket office to buy your tickets, and you walk through the small museum that tells the history of the railroad in the region and the gift shop.

The train station is amazing, but you did not come to the town of North Conway, New Hampshire to just see the old train station.  You came here to ride the train.  This is not just any train.  This is the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the nation.

The time has come.  The vintage train pulls into the station, and you board one of the vintage train cars.  From your seat, you are already seeing the beauty of New Hampshire.  The train begins to pull out of the station, and you are shortly out of the town.  You cross over rivers and streams and see fields and mountains to include the world famous Mount Washington.  You ride to the end, and you return to the station.

The Conway Scenic Railroad has numerous excursion routes.  This means that you will need to return again.  After your first train ride, you will want to come back to ride the other excursion trains.

The Conway Scenic Railroad is located in North Conway, New Hampshire at 30 Norcross Circle which is just off of U.S. Route 302 and New Hampshire Route 16.  Parking is on site.  Please note that due to the age of the facility and the trains, they are not wheelchair accessible, but they are happy to assist those with mobility issue in any way they can so that they can enjoy the ride.  Learn more about the excursions, the train schedules, buy tickets, and read more into the railroad at https://www.conwayscenic.com/.

Why is the Conway Scenic Railroad one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America?  The best way to answer this question is to make your way to the small New Hampshire town of North Conway and to ride the train.  Once you ride the train, your question will be answered.

Maybrook Railroad Museum, Maybrook, New York

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of New York is known as the Empire State.  Why?  Most people would think that it is because of the World Famous Empire State Building located in New York City, but the name was actually coined by George Washington, a General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War because of the role the U.S. state played in the war to include the Battle of Saratoga which was the turning point of the War, and the name stuck as New York City remains the financial capital of the world, and, in the early years of the twentieth century, was called the Gateway to North America with the influx of immigrants entering the city.  Most people think about New York City as it is the most populated city in the United States of America and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, but there are other famous cities in the state like Rochester and Buffalo where, in the suburbs, you will find one of the most famous waterfalls in the world, Niagara Falls.  The state has many great small villages.  One of this villages is Maybrook.  Located in the southeast region of the state about seventy miles north of New York City, the small village of Maybrook is a small, charming village that makes the state of New York special.

Some of you are saying, “I love New York.  There is so much great history and nature area in the state.  I enjoy the skyline of New York City with the high rise buildings to include the Empire State Building.  I love Niagara Falls.  There is so much in this state.  As for Maybrook, there is really nothing to see there.  Therefore, I will not be visiting this village of Maybrook.”

So, you do not see a reason to visit the small village of Maybrook.  What is special about this small village?

As you exit Interstate 84 and drive south on New York Route 208, you come upon a caboose from the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.  I know.  There are many lonely cabooses on display across the country, but this is not your average lonely caboose.  What makes the village of Maybrook so important?  It was here where the largest railroad yard in the state of New York where the town saw the largest number of trains, about fifty two trains a day, during the height of World War II which had to move quickly to supply the troops.  Sadly, the yard nor the Maybrook Railroad Line no longer exists.  The old railroad line crossed the Hudson River going towards Connecticut.  The bridge, called the Walkway over the Hudson, is now a pedestrian bridge where you can get exceptional view of the Hudson River.

Some of you are saying, “Well then.  If the railroad yard is no longer there, there is no reason to visit Maybrook.”

Ladies and gentlemen, there is more to the story.

Drive one mile south on New York Route 208 into the village of Maybrook, and you will see the Government Center.  Yes, it is where the government of the village of Maybrook meets, but there is also another important place here.  What is this important place?

Welcome to the Maybrook Railroad Museum.  When you arrive, you will not see a locomotive or a caboose or any kind of rolling stock.  Why visit the museum?  As a place where the largest railroad yard in eastern America was once located, the small museum tells the story of how this small village played a big role in the railroad history of the United States of America.  Although you cannot see the actual railroad yard itself, you can see pictures and artifacts and books of the railroad yard.  Yes, it is a small museum, but there is much railroad history inside, and for a little excitement, there is a model train that runs road above you.

The Maybrook Railroad Museum is owned by the Maybrook Railroad Historical Society, and it is operated by volunteers, and they are open to anyone who is willing to volunteer.  It is located inside the Maybrook Government Center located at 111 Schipps Lane just off of New York Route 208 and a short drive south of Interstate 84.  It is open seasonally from the first Sunday after Easter April to the Last Sunday in October from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.  Admission is free, but they gladly accept any donation to keep the museum open for many generations to come.  Parking is on site, and the museum is wheelchair accessible.  You can read more about the Village of Maybrook and it role in the region at https://www.villageofmaybrook.com/.

Maybrook, New York is a small village with a big railroad past.  The Maybrook Railroad Museum preserves and honors that past.  You love New York, and you will love the Maybrook Railroad Museum.