A portion of the McComb railroad depot had been destroyed.
It was May 20, 1976, when railroad workers lost control of a freight car. The car jumped the tracks and crashed into the north end of the depot, which had to be demolished.
After the city of McComb received the deed to the depot property in 1996, an addition to the depot was built in 1999 on the footprint of the demolished portion of the building.
The McComb Railroad Depot Museum opened in the south end of the building in 2003 and expanded into the 1999 rebuilt addition in 2014, after the newly separated chamber of commerce and economic development district moved to other locations.
Museum Executive Director Ralph Price told the McComb Lions Club on Tuesday that he witnessed the fire that destroyed the north end of the property once again on May 30, and the work that went into battling the blaze.
“I can’t tell you all the heroic efforts that were put in that day,” Price said. “I watched it unfold, and it was a helpless feeling. I’m so proud of the efforts that day.”
Police made an arson arrest within 48 hours of the fire.
“We have one of the greatest fire departments in the state, and our police have top-notch investigators,” Price said.
He said fire investigators determined that the fire started in the north end of the building, rose to the attic and swept southward. While the north end will need to be demolished once again, most of the more southerly sections of the building can be preserved and reused, or shored up and built around.
“The museum wants to save what is there,” Price said. “This is an opportunity to improve and enhance the building, from a functional standpoint.”
The Lions presented Price with a $500 check to help with rebuilding and restoration efforts.
He said part of the terms of turning the deed over to the city was that the city would carry a replacement-cost insurance policy on the depot.
“On the insurance, the building was valued at $350,000, but on a replacement-cost policy, the insurance company has a responsibility to cover a certain percentage over the insurance value,” Price said.
That will be important as restoration and rebuilding move forward, because “there’s never been a time when materials were higher in cost,” he said. “For a 3,900-square foot property, if the rebuilding cost is $200 a square foot, that’s $780,000.”
The design of the property might help keep costs down, though.
The northern third of the property, the part rebuilt in 1999, “is a rectangle building,” Price said. “You could almost find a bunch of high school vo-tech students to replace it. It’s not complicated.”
While vocational students probably won’t be rebuilding museum space, Price credited a number of volunteers with helping to salvage artifacts, assess damage and replace fixtures and furnishings.
Catchings, a former director of several vocational schools who is experienced in wood and metal-working, is helping to assess and repair exhibit cases.
Ganeath Daniel is working on photograph restoration, and Jason Van is helping with glass replacement.
Frank Parsons, a contractor, has given advice on the condition of the remaining building and how to approach it; and architect Steve Cox has given free advice and offered to draw new plans for the depot’s rebuilding.
“This is a strong, civic-minded community,” Price said. “All communities have their problems, but it’s incumbent on all of us to work together.
“The museum leases space from the city, but we want to help put things right again. I haven’t heard one selectman say they don’t want to rebuild the depot.”
