The Endicott Enquirer News from the Southern Tier

23Feb/082

Maryland Railroads: Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum

This is going to be the first in what I hope to be a running series of posts about the history of railroads in Hagerstown, Maryland. The best way to start learning about the lines running through the area is by stopping in at the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum on Burhan's Boulevard.

Once there you will not find a more knowledgable volunteer staff of people then those running the model layouts. Whether you want to know the time tables of CSX trains coming through or if you want to learn about the various systems that have run through Hagerstown they can tell you. As a boy I had the fascination with trains that so many do and I was lucky enough to have an HO model set that I could run on my own. While I never got my dream O scale set, I still had the experience of trying to learn more about the rich railroading heritage of this country. The Roundhouse Museum is in a unique position to teach people about this history that we all share since they are right at the heart of the East Coast rail system. After all, they don't call Hagerstown the "Hub City" for nothing. All you need to do is look alongside the roads that you travel each day to see the rail lines crossing your paths.

If you get excited about watching the intermodal transports go across the railroad bridges on route 40 or just want to learn what the phrase intermodal transport means, I suggest you stop by the Roundhouse Museum today.

23Feb/080

S.M.U. Makes It Official: Bush Library Is Coming – New York Times

DALLAS — A center devoted to the life, works, papers and policies of President George W. Bush will be built at Southern Methodist University, officials announced Friday, despite faculty members’ lingering concerns and opposition from some Methodists.

In addition to a library of presidential papers, the center here will include a museum and a public policy institute that will generally be independent of the university, though it will appoint at least one board member.

Money for the center, which is expected to cost more than $200 million, is to be raised from donors.

S.M.U. Makes It Official: Bush Library Is Coming - New York Times

I am so glad I did not go to SMU, if I had, I probably would hand my degree back right about now. Why would anyone want to put up a library dedicated to one of the worst rated presidents of all time? I guess you could store all of his documents in there so future generations could see what happens when people continue to make bad decisions both in elections and in the white house.

Thank you SMU, for never letting us forget the some of the worst times it has been to be an American when we have been universally laughed at by the world community, had terrible domestic policies and had such a divided country that nothing got done to make things any better.