All aboard

Historic railroad train depot exhibit renovation is on track  

Carpenters put a face on the front of the depot, framed
in the storage closet, and honed some of the openings
for doors and "windows" which are enormous TV screens.

A new train station is expected to open in Plymouth next Wednesday.

The Plymouth Historical Society received a grant of $65,000 from the Margaret Dunning Foundation to renovate and enhance the railroad depot exhibit space at the Plymouth Historical Museum “Main Street” exhibit. 

The exhibit is being completely renovated with modern technologies, which will allow visitors to walk inside and experience the sights and sounds of an early 20th-century railroad depot. The idea is to showcase the role of trains and the local railroad station in Plymouth, circa 1885-1930, explained museum Director Liz Kerstens.

The closet that will house some of the electronic
equipment is nearly complete. 

“We are so grateful to the Margaret Dunning Foundation for the support of our railroad depot exhibit upgrade, as well as all of the support it has provided the museum through the years,”Kerstens said. “We are hoping to be able to open the new exhibit when the museum reopens Feb. 8, 2023.” 

Margaret Dunning was born in 1910 in Redford Township and moved with her mother to Plymouth in the 1920s. She died in 2015 at the age of 104, having lived 90 years in the same house on Penniman Road in Plymouth. During her lifetime, Ms. Dunning was a successful businesswoman, philanthropist and civic booster.  

In 1947, Bessie Dunning and her daughter, Margaret, purchased a house at the present site of the library to provide the facility with a permanent home. 

In recognition, the library building was named the Dunning Library. 

The bead board is getting installed and the walls and ceilings
in the entryway are framed and soon visitors will
be able to walk into the sights and sounds of the 1920s
 Pere Marquette Depot in Plymouth, circa 1885-1930.

The Plymouth Historical Museum is usually open to the public from 1 until 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday but is closed for renovation work until Feb. 8. There is also an exhibit changeover under way, “Snapshots of Plymouth” which will open next week.

Construction on the new train depot exhibit is being completed by Stella Contracting while O'Donnell Electric is installing the necessary wiring. AFP Sound Systems is doing the digital equipment phase and Highway Media is creating the digital content.  

T.J. Gaffney of Streamline Historic Services is the overall project coordinator.