Pair of End-O-Line exhibits have new location
Louise Gervais would have loved this. Last week was a big one for the End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum as Goldschmidt Movers moved the old General Store and the Mill to its new location on the south end of campus. The structures had been tucked away further to the east where they were more prone to flooding.
Gervais, the director of the museum for more than 30 years, died in 2017.
“I really do feel Louise would’ve been really excited about getting them moved closer to the rest of the park,” said Joe Schreier. “I think she would’ve really loved it. It’s going to be a lot more accessible to people. Aesthetically, I think it’s going to look very nice. I think she would’ve been very happy about it.”
Schreier said the main reason the buildings were moved was because of perennial flooding issues.
“And also, there’s that bridge over that little waterway, and the museums was concerned about that — they didn’t want people on there. The decking and everything was getting in bad shape. I think the biggest reason was the flooding, because they were sitting quite low.”
The actual Mill building isn’t as old as one might think. It was Schreier who built a replica in 2001.
“The original building was gone, he said of the building that once sat along Mill St. “It was torn down. Louise had pictures, and we took the pictures and built the replica.”
The General Store once sat right behind and to the west of the bank. Schreier said it was Gervais’ idea to move it to the museum site in 1988. Dale Pommier moved the building.
Although the move looked like a big one, everything went relatively smooth for Goldschmidt Movers, which employs hydraulic steering on its dolly so the back end where the buildings sit can be steered separately from the truck itself. The moving company, based out of St. James, moved the Central Store last Monday, then relocated the Mill on Wednesday.
“It was a pretty simple move,” said Sam Koch of Goldschmidt Movers. “I guess the biggest challenge for us was there wasn’t much room underneath them, just the way they were originally build. But once we got our beams underneath them, it was pretty simple to do.”
Goldschmidt worked with Excel Energy leading up to the moves, as there were a couple of power lines that needed to be raised so the large structures would fit.
“Excel has someone from their office that I contact, and they kind of take over from there,” said Koch. “I tell them our date and the height and they go out and check what they actually have to do with their lines to get them out of the way.”
Koch said the buildings were in pretty good shape.
End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum is a 12-acre county park and historical site located that features a unique collection of historic buildings, rail structures, and vintage rolling stock dedicated to preserving and interpreting the early history of Currie, the Lake Shetek area and 20th-century railroad heritage.
The one-time small park project grew beyond the scope of a volunteer youth group, and in 1975, Murray County officially adopted it as a county park. Gervais was appointed seasonal park director and curator, a role she served until her retirement in 2010.
