MOVING DAY WITH THE SAVE OUR STATION COMMITTEE

FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2003

A DAY THAT WILL CHANGE THE LOOK OF HAMLET, NC FOREVER

This page is dedicated to SOS Chairman, Bill Williams, PhD, whose foresight brought about the founding of the Save Our Station Committee and whose hard work and guidance have resulted in substantial funds being raised for the Hamlet Passenger Station Project.

At 6:30 AM, the SOS Committee started getting ready to welcome guests and visitors to the historic relocation of the Hamlet Passenger Station. By 8:30 AM, the displays were out and hot food was ready to be served. Of course, all proceeds went toward the relocation and upcoming restoration of the station.

Donuts, sausage biscuits, hot dogs, sausage dogs, salmon stew, roasted peanuts, homemade cakes, homemade bownies, coffee, and soft drinks were on the menu. Food was available from breakfast through lunch.

"I was there!" tee-shirts, "When The Trains Came Through" cookbooks, station charms, drawings by "Monk" Thomas, prints by Gail Saunders, station mugs, framed prints and note cards could be purchased with the proceeds going toward the station project. Also available were railroad tee-shirts, pens, railroad hats, wooden train whistles, and various other memoriablia with proceeds going to help the National Railroad Museum and Hall of Fame which will re-open in the station once Phase 1 is complete.

In the distance, Edwards Rigging & Moving are making final preparations and adjustments to the motorized hydraulic dollies which will transport the 400-ton building across one set of railroad tracks and onto it's new foundation. The building starts to move at approximately 8:30 AM.

The Hamlet Senior Center's Director, Susan Sellers, spent the day shuttling visitors back and forth from the various parking lots set up around town to the bleachers set up at the move site.

Bill and Bernice Owens prepare their famous Salmon Stew. The recipe can be found in the Save Our Station Cookbook entitled, "When The Trains Came Through". Hamlet City Councilman, Bert Unger, can be seen in the background grilling link sausages and hot dogs.

Helen Moore and her husband get ready to sample Bill-Bilts Salmon Stew. Mrs. Moore's review of "When The Trains Came Through" was featured in both the Charlotte News and the Raleigh News & Observer.

The Hamlet Police as well as the Richmond County Highway Patrol were busy with secuity and traffic control. The Hamlet Fire Department and Rescue Squad were on the job as well.

By mid-morning, visitors flocked to the Save Our Station Concession Tent in order to purchase food and souvenirs.

The sun was hot but the large tent provided by NC Department of Transportation, offered some welcomed shade to the hard-working Save Our Station Committee and Volunteers.

Craig Newton, Senior Engineer for the NCDOT Railroad Division, and his wife, Vicki, visit the Save Our Station Concession Tent to grab a quick snack.

David Gaul, Project Architect, shows off his "I was there!" tee-shirt.

Visitors take turns at the fence to watch as the grand old lady crosses the tracks.

The station is half-way across the tracks. CSX has re-routed any trains which would normally be coming through at this time.

Rising above the telephone poles is a videographer in the bucket of a boom-truck busy with the job of documenting the move.

Students from Fairview Heights School relax on the curb while watching this historic moment.

Henry Quick, a local merchant, decides to add a little nostalgia to the scene by riding his horse. Men on horseback would have been an everyday event back in 1900 when the station was built.

Moving at a snail's pace, the move took about 3 1/2 hours to complete.

"Well, it was there a couple of hours ago!"

Decendants of Samuel Washington Birmingham - the station's builder - were on hand to watch the event.

Main Street has been changed forever. On the left, please note another on-going restoration project, the Hamlet Opera House.

The Save Our Station Committee has worked very hard for several years to help make this day possible but our work is far from being over. Now that the station has been relocated, the restoration must begin....

....But all the hard work will be worth the result. A beautiful and now historic building will once again bring crowds to downtown Hamlet as it did in the past.

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