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Bradford celebrates its history  as ‘little Chicago’ railroad town

Bradford Railroad festival expands to three venues

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By Nancy Bowman, Staff Writer Updated 9:45 AM Thursday, June 18, 2009

BRADFORD — Like many people in the village, Sue Vickroy has railroad in her blood, and in her heart.

History explains why.

The village, divided by the Miami-Darke County line, was a railroad town for more than 130 years, from 1854 to 1985.

“At one time, this was a large railroad center. Some referred to it as little Chicago,” Vickroy said.

That history is being preserved in the growing Bradford Ohio Railroad Museum at Main and Miami streets and celebrated at the annual Bradford Ohio Railroad Festival and Train Show. This year’s expanded festival will be held Saturday, June 20, at the museum, the Bradford High School and the BF Tower.

Vickroy’s father came to Bradford in 1913, starting to work for the railroad when he was about 15 and eventually becoming a welder on the railroad. During the hey day of the railroad, thousands of people were in the village daily for work.

Vickroy — then Sue Carine — grew up across the street from the rail yard.

To help keep history of those days alive, she hosts local school children in her home for a lesson on the railroad and the people who made it work. She also talks with people about their railroad experiences and memories, compiling the stories for future reference.

Cherie Roeth’s grandfather was a conductor and her grandmother worked at the railroad YMCA. She chairs the festival and helps at the museum, whose operations are overseen by a board led by president Gloria Shafer. The railroad museum was founded in 2002 across the street. Since 2006 it has been in a former bank building. The bank building was under construction, and survived, a major fire that swept through the bustling downtown in 1920.

The bank vault serves as the museum store. Other museum features include old photographs, a railroad timeline, a railroad library, railroad YMCA artifacts and other railroad artifacts from lanterns to workers’ hats and boarding passes. Furnishings from the railroad depot fill one room. Another room is designed just for children, who can play while the adults check out the museum.

Donated items come to the museum from railroaders’ families and railroad enthusiasts, among others. The size of the collection will allow for rotating exhibits. Shafer said one of the most interesting parts of museum involvement is hearing the stories told by museum visitors, many who worked on the railroad or recall train rides to and from the village and area communities such as Covington and Piqua.

The third phase of a capital campaign to help preserve railroad history is expected to kick off this weekend.

The first phase raised $200,000 for the tower restoration followed by $60,000 collected for work to the museum building’s exterior, including a new roof. Phase three will target $250,000 for interior improvements, including adding a meeting room and expanding children’s activities, among other projects.

“People have been very, very supportive,” Shafer said.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the museum, including serving as docents, is asked to call Shafer at (937) 448-2185. More information on the museum is available at www.bradfordrrmuseum.org. Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2292 or nbowman@Dayton DailyNews.com.

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