Historic French Merci Train Car to be Restored, Relocated

A historic wooden train car given in gratitude to Mississippi by France following World War II will be restored and relocated with a $230,000 grant from the Department of Archives and History. The Merci car, which sits uncovered on a platform behind the War Memorial Building and Old Capitol Museum, has suffered from decades of exposure to the elements.

"The Merci boxcar has been part of the historical complex on the Capitol Green for decades, and we are glad to be able to finally restore it," said MDAH director H.T. Holmes.

In 1947, Washington Post columnist Drew Pearson launched a grassroots effort to help war recovery in France and Italy. Over $40 million worth of supplies was collected from across the United States, eventually filling more than 700 railroad cars. The train became known as the American Friendship Train, and the boxcars arrived in Europe in December 1947.

In response to America's generosity, the French reciprocated with their own train of gifts. Known as the French Merci Train, the cars were decorated with placards of the coats of arms of all of the provinces of France and loaded with personal donations from across the country. Each of the forty-eight states would receive a car, plus one to be shared between Washington, D.C., and Hawaii.

After first stopping in Meridian, Mississippi's boxcar arrived in Jackson on February 12, 1949. The items in the car were displayed at the farmer's market and then divided among various organizations. The Department of Archives and History received forty objects from the Merci train that are still in the permanent collection for display in the planned Museum of Mississippi History.

At only 20.5 feet long and 8.5 feet wide, the Merci car is a small boxcar known as a 40 & 8 in France, so named because each car could carry forty men or eight horses. Most of the original materials will be saved, with only the siding and missing placards to be replaced. Once the restoration is complete the boxcar will be moved to the former GM&O depot, where a canopy will be constructed to protect the car. A second rail will also be installed since the gauge of the Merci car is too narrow for the existing track.

The Merci train was placed at the entrance of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds before eventually being moved to its present location. The boxcar was transferred to the Department of Archives and History in 2002.

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