FCVRRHS Our Projects - FCVRRHS.org French Creek Valley Railroad Historical Society, Meadville, PA 16335

  

FCVRRHS members new project: Meadville RR Depot.

Cambridge Springs Heritage Society recently voted to donate the clock, which was in the station 100 years ago, to be hung again to remind visitors of the proper time. Although no one knows for sure when it was there, it did have a note saying "cleaned 1913," according to Sandy Porter, who is among those working to transform the former trolley station into the museum for the Northwestern Pennsylvania Railroad and Tooling Center to house trolley memorabilia and other transportation-related artifacts. The building was dedicated Nov. 29, 1910, and later served as a bus station and service station. President Willliam Howard Taft once rode the trolley. Rose Smith, who is in charge of the Cambridge Springs Heritage Society Museum, said the clock was donated to the society by Miriam Busch when Busch moved to Florida years ago. It has been on display at the museum since. Smith said Busch's husband once owned the trolley station, which had been turned into a gasoline service station, and the clock was there then. When they sold the building in 1965, they kept the clock and later donated it. It still works after all these years, Porter said. The clock isn't the only original item that has been discovered, said Dan Higham, who has been chairing the restoration project. Higham and others have uncovered many original pieces. He cleaned up brass-plated original "ladies" and "gents" signs, which hang on the doors leading to the restrooms. He still is amazed at how good they look after being restored. The restoration project is about 75 percent complete, and Higham is excited to not only to see the progress, but also to see it become a reality. Plans are to open the museum in the spring and, at the same time, allow it to be used by the community for meetings and events. Erie Traction Car opened the building in 1910 as a trolley station. The trolley took passengers from Cambridge Springs to Edinboro and Erie. (Another trolley line ran from Meadville to Cambridge Springs.) As automobiles became more popular, the trolleys discontinued service and the station closed in 1928. It later became a bus station and then Whipple's Atlantic Service Station. In March 1955, Vic Busch took over the station, which later was owned by Henry J. and Lorraine Finck, who purchased it in 1967. Merle Townley purchased it in 1971 and used it as a warehouse for a produce business. When he died in 1992, his son, Melvin, inherited the station. Melvin Townley, a former Cambridge Springs resident, worked as a curator at the Smithsonian Institution of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and traveled extensively. An artist, he used the station as studio when he visited Cambridge Springs and decided to fulfill his dream of transforming it into a museum. He started the work, but never finished it before he became ill and died. Higham wants to finish Townley's mission. Higham first met Townley at the Crawford County Fair in 2004 when local historian Anne Stewart introduced the two. During discussions, Townley expressed concern about the future of the station. In January 2009, Higham was informed that Townley had died and the Crawford County Historical Society had inherited the trolley station. "I was excited about it," Higham said, adding he believed that for the first time since 1885 the county historical society would have a presence outside Meadville. However, the society three years later said it was not feasible for them to do anything with it and declined the offer, Higham said. He was disappointed because he already spent many hours working there. "I put a lock on the door," he said, not knowing what would happen next. In the meantime, attorney Michael Halliday talked Higham into accepting the duties as executor of Townley's estate. Higham wanted to honor Townley's wishes to have the station restored. He is a member of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Railroad and Tool Center and in 2013, through a deal bartered with the historical society, it was offered to the tooling center, which also wants to preserve history. "We jumped all over it," he said, and the deal was made to have the deed transferred to the center. Higham unlocked the door again and resumed work. The station is an important part of Cambridge Springs' history, Higham said, pointing out the importance of the trolley, which brought visitors from many areas to Cambridge Springs where there were many spas with mineral waters, which were very popular at the time. However, not everyone came to Cambridge Springs for the mineral waters. One of the most famous people to ride the trolley was President Taft. On Oct. 28,1912, Taft came to Cambridge Springs by railroad for the dedication of Alliance College. After the dedication, he took the trolley to Edinboro for a program at Edinboro Normal School (now Edinboro University of Pennsylvania) and then back to Cambridge Springs. Looking at the worn path on the floor of the trolley's waiting room and ticket office, Higham still is amazed at the large number of people who once visited. While the floors have been lightly sanded to remove gas and oil residue from its time as a service station, the boards have not been replaced, he said. When Higham started the project, he still was president of U.S. Bronze Foundry and Machine Inc. He retired from active work in June, but still remains president of the company. Now, most of his spare time is spent working on the renovation. His voice is filled with pride as he shows a visitor around the station — pointing out the ticket booth, which still has the sliding window, and the original electric box with ceramic switch and glass tubes. Higham and others are hoping artifacts from the station will be donated to the museum when people realize the historic value. They especially are looking for pictures of when it was a service station. Higham beams with pride as he talks about the students from the Crawford County Career and Technical School who worked many hours at the station rewiring the electric and doing other upgrades. However, Higham sounds just a little wistful as he talks about fulfilling Townley's dream. "I'm pretty proud of it," he said, adding, "As long as Melvin's happy. I hope he is." Visitors to Cambridge Springs can see other pieces of history of the station and other things of interest in the town at the Cambridge Springs Heritage Society, which is just a few blocks away.

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