Help Needed to Restore One of the Nation’s Best Open Air Museums After Major Vandalism
On the heels of being nominated in USA Today as one of the best Open Air Museum’s in the nation, St. Louis’ own National Museum of Transportation was vandalized causing $20,000 in damages.
Plea for recovery and restoration effort from St. Louis’s National Museum of Transportation for $20,000 in damages caused by recent vandalism.
Vandals painted graffiti on two historic trolley artifacts. These trolleys are used in daily operation providing rides for guests during the operating season.
"We are heartbroken by this careless, selfish, and senseless act," stated Terri McEachern, Executive Director. "Our volunteers work extremely hard to restore these priceless artifacts and return them to operating conditions for our guests to enjoy."
The Damages
The Museum is a small non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to protect historic artifacts for future generations. The Museum receives no government funding and relies solely on the generosity of the community to preserve the past for future generations.
"We take vandalism to our artifacts seriously and will prosecute those who damage our collection to the fullest extent of the law," said Dr. Darryl Ross, President of the Museum's Board of Directors. "Not only did they damage our artifacts, they spray painted our security cameras. Fortunately, the photos we needed were already captured."
The Museum is working closely with St. Louis County Police. The Museum has provided photographs to St. Louis County Police of the individuals entering the property from the Union Pacific mainline and the damage done to the historic artifacts. We are grateful to the St. Louis County Police for the efforts they are using in assisting us in resolving this crime. If you have any information about this vandalism, please contact St. Louis County Detective Calvin McClain at 314.615.0716.
The museum needs your help to recover and restore. If you would like to donate to the Museum's restoration efforts, please donate here: https://tnmot.org/product/donation/
The two trolleys vandalized are the 1914 St. Louis Waterworks Railway #10 and the 1947 Southern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority #2740.
About the Museum
The National Museum of Transportation, 2933 Barrett Station Road, St. Louis, MO, is a 501(c)(3) organization relying solely on the generosity of the community to continue preserving the past for future generations. The Museum receives no government funding. To donate to the Museum visit https://tnmot.org/product/donation/ For additional information visit tnmot.org .
About the USA Today Nomination
The National Museum of Transportation is nominated as a Best Open Air Museum by USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice - 2024.
The Museum houses 'one of the largest and best collections of transportation vehicles in the Country,' according to representatives from the Smithsonian Institution.
"We are honored by this recognition,' stated Terri McEachern, Executive Director. "We are proud of our campus and collection of artifacts dating back to the mid-1800s. Two of our most recent acquisitions include the first F/A-18 E1 Super Hornet and the Virgin Hyperloop XP-2 Pegasus Pod direct from the Smithsonian Institution's Futures Exhibit."
The USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards highlight top-notch attractions and businesses providing readers with trusted recommendations. To vote visit https://10best.usatodaycom/awards/travel/best-open-air-museum-2024/ Voting ends on Monday, February 12, 2024, at 11:59 EST.
The National Museum of Transportation houses 'one of the largest and best collections of transportation vehicles in the world,' according to representatives from the Smithsonian Institution. The Museum is a 501(c)(3) relying solely on the generous support of the community to preserve the past for the next generations. For more information, please contact at tnmot.org.
