Texarkana railroad history exhibit with a chance to win vacation by rail

“It’s about the history of the railroads starting in Texarkana back in 1873 and going up to the last few years. Our exhibit covers Red River Army Depot. It covers the life and times of the 30s and the 40s. We have some interesting things about Black Ivory King, who was David Alexander out of Stamps, Arkansas. He wrote four interesting songs about railroad life,” says Edith Thomas, Volunteer Coordinator for the Texarkana Museum System.

The museum feels that the railroads are such an important subject to highlight because the history of Texarkana, like many towns, is intertwined with the history of rail.

“There was the Cairo and Fulton coming from Arkansas and the Texas and Pacific coming from Texas, and the railroads kind of met in 1873. If you get on the railroad and you take a ride on Amtrak headed west, almost every little town you go through says ‘Established 1873, ‘” says Thomas.

To celebrate the new exhibit, they are inviting the community to the official opening this weekend, August 1st and 2nd, where there will be a chance for both kids and adults to win prizes. For kids 10 and under, a scavenger hunt is available inside the museum, offering prizes courtesy of Amtrak. For the adults, they are selling $50 raffle tickets for the chance to win a week-long vacation in Austin, plus a hundred-dollar Amtrak ticket to help get you there.

“It’s about getting people interested in the railroads. Somebody’s going to get that opportunity to ride the railroad all the way down to Austin and spend a week down there and get to soak in some more history because you’ll be just a couple of blocks off of 6th Street and you’re going to be just a few blocks away from the University of Texas,” says Thomas.

Raffle tickets will be sold past the event until supplies run out. Contact the Texarkana Museum System to learn more, (903) 793-4831.