Welcome to 2026, Meridian, Mississippi, America 250

Published 12:08 pm Wednesday, December 24, 2025

A dream came true in November. It was brought to me and several additional historians in the city by Meridian Community College.

You see the PTK students from the college contacted me in late summer. At that time I didn’t realize the impact the text would make.

I thought the students were interested in local railroad history, and they were, but it is much bigger than that.

I remember two students arrived to the museum at the appropriate time. I was impressed that they arrived just as they said they would, right on time.

I had contacted Meridian Railroad Museum Board President Bill Lowe to meet with us.

It was when the painters were at the museum to refurbish the building and well, there was a lot going on. We had just completed the new roof and cleaning out our attic. The attic had over one hundred years of “stuff” stored: artifacts, photos, paintings and a large amount of model trains.

Shadow the railroad dog lived on the tracks in Meridian during the 1930s.
Photo by Anne McKee

But I regress.

The students were bright eyed and truly interested in every word, each story, and all of the artifacts, especially Miss Alva, the old coach which sits directly behind our building, about which Bill and I shared the stories that day.

We also shared stories like Shadow, the railroad dog, who lived on the tracks back in the early 1930s, and my story about Mrs. Susie Glover. She was an amazing woman who worked at Union Station also in the 1930s.

Let me remind you that the 1930s in America was in hard times known as the Great Depression.

So we told the stories and gave the tour, inside the museum as well as outside.

The students politely thanked us and I thought just a museum tour, maybe nothing special although I noticed the great interest displayed by the students and I was impressed.

It was a few weeks later when once again I was contacted and invited to MCC to tell railroad stories.

I was delighted and arrived there all bubbly. I brought several large poster images with me, and I dressed in costume to portray a lady of the late 1880s.

It was 1883 to be exact when the great train race took place stopping at Union Station.

Oh at that time, entire families lined the tracks for miles on that day to cheer the Queen and the Crescent on toward New Orleans, throwing flowers and enjoying picnic lunches.

So I told that story for the entire class on that day, plus several others. And afterwards left to return to the museum, so happy and impressed with the interest these students displayed about railroad history.

A few weeks later, I received another text and well, this one was the best of all.

The class had made a decision to concentrate on railroad history for their semester-end project and their decision included a documentary.

Let me say it again.

The class supported by MCC’s production department would produce a documentary about Meridian’s early railroad history.

It was truly a dream come true. The documentary has now published and available for all to see.

You may see it at the Meridian Community College website and their FB page, also Meridian Railroad Museum FB page as well.

I am just going to be honest. I have noticed for years the fact that Meridian was built on the back of the rails and most locals do not realize it.

It’s like a lost piece of history.

Let us, everyone, Meridian citizens,  governmental officials, and Lauderdale County citizens plus their officials stop and remember why we are blessed to live in this area today.

It was because in 1854 the Mobile & Ohio Railroad line made a visit to Mr. Richard McLemore, Meridian’s first settler, and made a deal to run tracks to and through Meridian which brought the city forth.

That very fact should be never forgotten.

Please honor Meridian’s railroad history as the PTK students have done. Also watch the documentary and contact the students of your gratefulness for their excellent work.

Oh, and stop by Meridian Railroad Museum, 1805 Front St., in historic downtown Meridian and I will tell you many more stories about early Meridian.

I may not be in costume that day you stop by but I can really tell an unforgettable story.

Welcome, Meridian, Mississippi to 2026, America 250.

Anne McKee is director at Meridian Railroad Museum.