Henry County is considering the removal of the historic train and other items at Heritage Park in McDonough. The board of commissioners will consider voting to surplus the items during the Tuesday, November 16, meeting.
The meeting will start at 5:30 pm. This is one hour earlier than the normal time. Agenda items from November 3 are also on the agenda. The board had to cancel the November 3 meeting because a quorum wasn’t present.
Update: commissioners agreed to table the agenda item during the November 16 meeting. Stay tuned for updates, to include a possible town hall meeting about the park’s future.
Heritage Park historic train
The train at Heritage Park is a 1933 steam locomotive. The train commemorates the Camp Creek train wreck. The wreck occurred in McDonough during June 1900. Henry County acquired the locomotive in 2003. It was a working locomotive through the 1990s for a Pennsylvania railroad.
County staff are recommending the board surplus the steam engine. To surplus an item allows the county to discard, sell or scrap the item. In their report, staff write the following:
Heritage Park is home to old structures and buildings that have not been maintained over the years. At this time, the cost to repair the buildings and structures isn’t worth preserving as we head in a new direction with revitalizing the image of the park. The train symbolizes an old train wreck which occurred in Henry County years ago. We are looking to [improve] the park and area to shed light on the positive things that have happened and are happening in Henry County. The silo and old road scraper are rusted and unsightly. We are recommending surplussing these items so we may remove them and begin improvements to the park.
In addition to the train, staff are recommending the board surplus the road scraper and silo. Both items are located at the park entrance. Earlier this year, the county surplussed several of the old artifacts such as the lumber saw. The park also houses historic structures such as the first public library in McDonough.
Featured image shows train at Heritage Park. Photo credit C. Carte. Article was updated following the November 16 agenda.
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