A Railroad Town and a Train Named Shiloh

The Caboose at Jesse Wynne Park



In 1882 there was a train derailment in the area. A box car left without wheels was placed upright and named "Wynne Station" in honor of Civil War Captain Jesse Wynne. On September 27, 1882 the Wynne Post Office opened. The rest is history.

Jesse Wynne Park sits just across the tracks from the location of the old railroad station. The tracks going East and West and North and South intersect at this point.

Dogwood in Jesse Wynne Park



When I was very young we would ride the train to Memphis for shopping in the morning and catch the afternoon train home. I have fond memories of meeting the train when my grandmother would come for a visit from Memphis.

My mother tells a story of how she was having difficulty breaking me from the bottle. She sent me home with grandmother on the train. Grandmother told me she had left the bottle on the train. When I returned I was a "big girl" drinking from a glass.

I have photographs of my grandfather meeting my dad and his brothers, in their uniforms, during World War II at that station. The old station is sadly long gone.

Those old tracks are still very busy but the trains no longer stop in Wynne. They just speed on through, blowing their whistles loudly.

Wednesday afternoon the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh Reenactment Civil War Train came steaming into town. My husband's office is near the railroad track. We began tracking the train with GPS on the computer and as the train approached Wynne the crowd began to gather. As the time came near we headed over to the tracks to join in the excitement.

I couldn't help but wonder what Captain Jesse Wynne would think about all the hoopla and the characters in their costumes.

Coming Around the Bend



It was fun to see the steam billowing and hear the old whistle blow.

The train was filled with passengers in Civil War costumes.



Canon Car

Farewell

And all too quickly, the train was gone.

♥ and Peace

Myra