(The following article by Tresa McBee was posted on the News-Leader website on December 15.)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Springfield and the Frisco Railway have a long history, glimpses of which are on display at Missouri State University.
“All Aboard! The Frisco Collection at Missouri State University” exhibit highlights a growing accumulation of photographs, artifacts and other archival material at Meyer Library’s Special Collections and Archives. It runs through Feb. 2.
“I think it’s one of the more photogenic collections that we have,” says David Richards, head of special collections.
Special collections specializes in unique material relevant to researchers, says archivist Anne Baker. But in the case of the Frisco collection, railroad enthusiasts are also drawn to the material.
“Having the railroad come é was beneficial to your town,” says Baker, noting that, at one time, the Frisco was one of the largest employers in Springfield.
The exhibit isn’t huge or interactive, but it gives an overview of the company’s local impact and a look at items from two recently acquired collections.
“We have people who are entrusting us with these collections because they know we have a secure location that’s open to researchers,” Baker says.
Although the collection focuses on archival material, such as documentation from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers from 1872, there are a few pieces of interest, Baker says.
Check out the message hoop, an oversize tennis racket of sorts without the strings that held messages. If a train didn’t stop at a station, someone would stand as close as he could to the train so when it passed through someone on the train could grab the note.
“Before radios, that’s how they would get messages back and forth for the trains,” Baker says. “Apparently there was quite an act to this. You had to know when to let go.”