Call for Virginian Artifacts

[NW Mailing List]

>From the Long Island Sunrise Trail NRHS newsletter:


Planting Fields Foundation Announces Special Exhibition on 
The Virginian Railway

The Curatorial Department at Coe Hall Historic House Museum 
is proud to announce the development of our latest 
exhibition, Henry Huttleston Rogers and the Virginian 
Railway, set to open spring 2012 at Planting Fields 
Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay, NY.

The Virginian Railway was a 440-mile coal-carrying line 
operated between 1909 and 1959, the construction of which 
was financed with the personal fortune of Henry Huttleston 
Rogers, vice president of the Standard Oil Company and one 
of the wealthiest American businessmen in history. With a 
nearly endless cash flow from Rogers' deep pockets — he 
invested $40,000,000 of his own resources into the 
project! — the Virginian proved a unique enterprise in the 
modern railroad industry: it was built with the highest 
quality materials, equipment and labor; was one of the first 
railroads to electrify part of its line; and ushered in the 
era of railroad mergers and the eventual nationalization of 
America's railroads. Despite its small size and short life, 
the Virginian stands as one of the most well-engineered, 
efficient and profitable railroads in history, and today is 
one of the most celebrated fallen flags in railroading.

Through stories, artifacts and images, this exhibit explores 
the nation's remarkable railroading heritage at the turn of 
the twentieth century, the "Golden Age" of American 
railroads. Highlighted are major social, cultural and 
technological themes of this period: the growth of travel 
and settlement; the development of "rail towns"; the 
capitalist spirit driving the coal industry; and the 
railroad as icon and art. The exhibit also features a 10x12' 
0-Gauge model railroad, constructed by a local modeling 
club, depicting the Virginian's historic-mainline from 
Deepwater, WV to Norfolk, VA.

You may ask, Why the Virginian Railway? Rogers' son-in-law, 
William Robertson Coe, was the owner of Planting Fields 
between 1913 and 1949. Mr. Coe served as an executive of the 
railway from 1913-1954, and his eldest son William Rogers 
Coe served as vice president and treasurer from 1948-1959. 
Henry Huttleston Rogers and the Virginian Railway will draw 
from the Planting Fields archives as well as the collections 
of museums, historical societies and private individuals to 
engage visitors in this story.
Planting Fields Foundation is reaching out the vast 
community of railroad enthusiasts to provide any leads on 
potential artifacts that would benefit this exhibition. 
These include:

o    Pictorial imagery (historic photographs, railway 
posters/advertisements, brochures)

o    Railroad hardware (lamps/lanterns, signals, tools, 
pins/spikes, whistles/bells)

o    Passenger items (cards, tickets, menus, timetables, 
documents)
Railroad-related bric-a-brac and souvenirs

If you think you may have something to contribute, please 
send an email with a short description to 
mhoward at plantingfields.org or call 516-922-8684. Collected 
materials for the exhibition may be donated or loaned. 
Please reply to this call for artifacts by November 30, 
2011.
Planting Fields Foundation is a not-for-profit organization 
in Oyster Bay, New York, that collaborates with the New York 
State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation 
to preserve and interpret Planting Fields Arboretum.

------------------------------end release-------------------

Cheers,
Jim Guthrie
New York