CABOOSE

The Caboose was the first of our rolling stock museums. Donated to The Town of

Wallace by Eugene Worth Merritt of Wilmington, the car was given in memory of

his parents and grandparents, Rosa and Eugene Merritt and Lucy and Ward

Farrior.

The Caboose was the railcar always found at the end of a freight train. It provided

shelter for the crew and was built with bay windows on the sides or a cupola on

the top of the car so the crew could observe the working train. It also served as

the conductor’s office, and on long trips included a cooking area and sleeping

accommodations. One of the main purposes of the Caboose was for observing

problems at the rear of the train before they caused trouble.

In addition to the Merritt/Farrior family the Caboose was dedicated in memory of

Stephen Almond Herring who lived in Wallace and was an Atlantic Coast Line

Freight Conductor from 1931-1954, and Thomas Colston Edgerton, Pioneer of the

Wallace Depot Restoration.