"HEAR MY TRAIN A COMIN' jimi hendrix

Thursdays, Town Hall Meeting had one of the best turnouts in recent memory. Of course the main reason was for the city to explain how this train station property can become an historical district. It also gave the train station people a view of what the group future plans for the station were what they had accomplished and what they would like to accomplish.

Much ground was covered as well as an education into the historical value of this property.

Mr. Art Shamakian brought up the most interesting thought of the night. With people staying overnight at the Manor they ask where and what is there exactly  to see in Painesville? I guess Art hadn't given that much thought to that idea, to busy resurrection a building from the past. Things like the train station attract outside people and money.

If you think about it Painesville presently is in flux. We built five new schools, a new library, but at the same time lost much of our history dating as far back to the 60's. I guess the best way to judge a community is not only how it moves forward but what it believes is important to save from our past. I guess I finally realized all the changes taken place around here in just my short life. The hospital I was born in is gone. The elementary school, junior high as well as the building I went to high school in. The name stayed but the building is gone. Some of the places that were part of my everyday life have vanished. I can understand it being like the circle of life but there are things of value  the are important and represent the culture of our city. Someone once claimed to me that the train depot on Railroad Street was like the Ellis Island of Painesville. How many Painesville families arrived in this city by train? What an opportunity for future generations to walk where ancestors  once walked.

Painesville has had a rich and proud railroad history at one time three major railroads dissected  Painesville The New York Central (CSX) Nickel Plate Road (NS) the location of that  station was on the north side of the tracks on South State street next to D'Abates. As  well as the Baltimore and Ohio that at the time was the Lake Branch running from New Castle Pa. to Fairport Harbor to the coal docks. At the time this was the railroads last bastion for the steam locomotive with the EM-1's the largest steam engines east of the Mississippi calling Painesville home. The present school bus parking lot was where the former freight station and  three stall engine house stood. The line was abandoned  in the 80's and is that Lake Metro Park calls the rails to trails Greenway Corridor that heads south out of Painesville.

visit the Museum website;

www.painesvillerailroadmuseum.org