Crews work Tuesday to put down new plywood on the roof of the Meridian Railroad Museum. Photo by Thomas Howard

Construction crews were hard at work this week as the Meridian Railroad Museum received a brand new roof.

 

Museum Executive Director Anne McKee said the previous roof was put on in 1995, and the building itself was first constructed in 1906. The museum has grown and evolved throughout the years, but the need to preserve Meridian’s rich railroad history remains, she said.

 

“Railroad history is important to Meridian since the city was founded in 1854, when the Mobile & Ohio first laid tracks,” she said in a statement about the roofing project. “It is interesting the tracks began in the first settler’s cornfield, a Mr. McLemore. At that time, the coming city, to be named Meridian, was called Sowashee Junction. But if you want a glimpse of Meridian at the time of 1906, walk through today’s railroad museum which has never been altered—other than heat and air conditioning.”

 

McKee said getting the much-needed roofing project underway took hard work and support from many. Atlas Roofing donated the shingles for the project, she said, and Norfolk Southern Railroad provided a grant to help fund the work. Additionally, many others supported the project through monetary donations and other means.