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Posted June 13th, 2009:  Casey Jones' famous last ride may have taken place almost 110 years ago but his memory is alive and well in Jackson , Tennessee .  A major expansion of the Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum is set to open June 19th.  The Train Station addition is a joint project of the City of Jackson and Brooks Shaw's Old Country Store who has privately managed the Casey Jones Museum  for over 30 years.   Call it the little engine that could, but this Home and Museum are about to venture into a a whole new era expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually from all over the world.

In a move that preserved the railroad museum for generations to come, the City of Jackson was awarded a federal enhancement grant in the fall of 2005 from the Tennessee Department of Transportation signed by Governor Phil Bredesen. The project was funded by an 80/20 match by the grant and Brooks Shaw's Old Country Store. Construction of the 7,500 square foot "Train Station" began in the fall of 2008  and it is scheduled to open by June 19th.  Bruce Green Contractors in Martin, Tennessee  was the construction company  led by Mike Youngblood.

The public is invited to a  Ribbon  Cutting & Dedication Ceremony scheduled for 11:00 am on Friday, June 19th, 2009  followed by a tour of the new building, reception and live musical entertainment.  Descendants of Casey Jones are scheduled to attend including four grandchildren Nancy Howse and Tom, Bob and Dan McKenzie.  Casey Jones mini-train rides will be  available for kids of all ages Friday and Saturday along with various activities throughout the weekend.   Museum hours will be 9:00 am to 8:00 pm daily.

Clark Shaw, CEO of the Old Country Store, is the project coordinator who also designed the building.  Lawrence Taylor is the Executive Director of the Museum and his wife, Norma Taylor, is the Museum Historian.  The Train Station project committee consisted of Clark Shaw , the Taylors and  Shaw's sister, Deborah Shaw Laman,   Casey Jones Village marketing director. 

The Museum has also  partnered with West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation to form a  non-profit arm of the Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum allowing individual and corporate sponsors to take 100% tax deductions for contributions.  All donations to the Casey Jones Historical Fund will be used for either new exhibits or educational programs as well as for the upkeep of the Casey Jones Home.   Visit the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation website at www.wthfoundation.org  for more information.

The new "Train Station" was designed to recreate the look and feel of  an 1890's train depot.  Guests will enter through a lobby to buy their ticket as if boarding a train. They will begin the tour in  the theatre and view  an updated short film on Casey Jones' life and legend produced by Doug Viar. The tour will continue through a permanent Exhibit Hall and the Jackson Railroad Room dedicated to Jackson , Tennessee 's rich railroad history. Guests will  then walk onto a platform as they exit the Train Station as if to board a train in 1900 and be able to climb into the cab of the 130 ton locomotive engine replica of Casey's  #382 and ring the bell.   The original Home of Casey Jones is a highlight of the tour decorated in period furniture.   Guests will then complete their tour back into the Train Station with a visit through the new Museum train store filled with railroad gifts of all kinds complete with a Thomas the Tank Engine corner including a reading nook and Thomas video screening area.  

Spaces in the building will be ideal for children's birthday parties and for local community meetings and functions of all  kinds.   Catering services will also be available through Brooks Shaw's Old Country Store.