Casey Jones

Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum

On 30 April 1900, railroad engineer Jonathan Luther "Casey" Jones died while trying to stop his passenger train before it collided with a disabled freight train. When they saw the lights of the stopped train's caboose, the fireman jumped and Casey stayed on board to slow the train. Casey failed to avoid a collision but was able to slow the train enough to keep his cars upright and his passengers alive. The IC Railroad's official report blamed Casey for the wreck: claiming that he disregarded the freight train's flagman's warnings of the stopped train ahead. However, other reports suggest that the flagman was in a place in which he could not have been seen in time to avoid a collision. Casey became legend and hero after his friend Wallace Saunders immortalized him in song: The Ballad of Casey Jones.

Casey's home at the time of his death is now a museum with exhibits about Casey and railroads.