It was 25 years ago, and we are still grateful to everyone who donated time and money to help us preserve the Tower and save it from demolition.
Thanks to the businesses and banks that allowed us to put donation jars on their counters, and thanks to all the Griffith residents who put money in the jars! Thanks to all the Historical Society members, who volunteered every step of the way, and of course, thank you to all the people and businesses who donated money towards this gigantic project!
It was really a town-wide effort, and is a monument to the spirit of Griffith!
How does a group of “not the youngest of people” raise thousands upon thousands of dollars in just 7 months?
First of all, we bought a banner that said HELP US SAVE AND MOVE OUR TOWER!
Then we called on the Griffith Fire Department and asked them to put up the banner for us. The idea was everyone would see our message while waiting for trains to pass at our crossing.
This was in the year 2000. The internet and social media were in their infancies. So, how did one get the word out beyond our town?
We called the newspapers, who graciously published stories and photos about our efforts.
The very next day, the president of the Griffith Saving Bank called and gave us $1,000.
We were on our way!
Next, we wrote letters to any and all local, state and federal foundations, including the Lily Endowment.
Donald Trump had a casino boat in Griffith, so we contacted him. He gave us $100.
In the end, though, most donations came right from our town.
The schools stepped up. Beiriger held a Penny War that earned over $500.
The Griffith Junior/Senior High School had a walk-a-thon from their schools to our Historical Park and back. They raised over $500 for us.
We even had the honor to be written up in a newspaper column by Bo Kane, who grew up in Griffith and had a grandmother who lived right by.
Town organizations sent donations, and stores and businesses contributed to our cause.
Many of them put out Save The Tower mugs for us, so people we didn’t even know could donate to us.
Towns people who once worked for railroads or had a railroading heritage were very generous.
And friends from out of town, the Blackhawk Railway Historical Society, procured a $5,000 National Railway Heritage Grant for us.
The support we got from everyone was overwhelming and we will be forever grateful to them.
We were especially so on July 20th, 2000, when Dillabaugh, Inc. did what seemed impossible and moved a three story bright tower.
Out onto Broad Street at 9 o’clock, across the tracks and onto our property by lunchtime, standing above the new foundation at quitting time.
And the box of soap that was on a shelf in the upper room never moved. It was still in place when the boards were later removed and the building was opened up!
A historic job done by everybody involved, well done and ahead of schedule.
There is a truth beyond doubting that railroad companies really don’t like when two trains collide. Especially in bygone times when they were just getting started and money was tight.
So, wherever two sets of rail lines crossed each other, known as an interlocking, a small cabin on stilts was built to control train movement. It was up high to provide a clear view of the tracks. An employee would manually activate the grade crossing signals and gates before automatic detection was available or installed. (Check out the photos below!)
Griffith’s junction had five sets of rail lines interlocking at one place, hence the need for a larger brick building.
An interlocking tower was outfitted with machinery that linked the tower to sets of moveable tracks, called “switch tracks,” and a man that operated it. Through the use of levers linked to these tracks, the Operator, often called the Towerman, could control their position.
By carefully coordinating these switch tracks, the Operator was able to ensure an oncoming train was safely guided onto the right track to avoid a collision.
At one time, there were 5,000 railroad towers, in North America. Today, there are fewer than 50 towers still operating. Most of the rest have been torn down due to advancements in technology.
Our tower also faced demolition 25 years ago, but then Elgin Joliet & Eastern Railway general manager, Mel Turner, asked if we wanted the building. Of course, we said, “YES!”
We’ll continue to unfold more of this story here on our site, culminating in a Celebrate Our Tower Day, at the Griffith Historical Park, August 10th.
So, be sure to stay tuned, to use a well-known phrase of days gone by.
(And click the DONATE button now to help support upkeep of the Tower and rail-cam!!)
Please join us for a Special General Membership Meeting. Wednesday, January 8th at 5:30 pm •Franklin Center – Community Room •Enter Door A
As we plan for and move strategically into 2025, the Board of Directors is recommending changes in how we operate and represent the Griffith Historical Society Museums, not only in Griffith, but across the nation within a fraternity of hundreds of other Historical Museums.
To do this, we are proposing changes in our Bylaws regarding membership.
Please join us at this Special Membership Meeting to hear about the changes and vote on them, to secure the future of the Griffith Historical Society.
✨THANK YOU THANK YOU! 🎅This year’s Santa in the Caboose was a huge success thanks to every visitor and so many volunteers! 🚂This event is fun for everyone and has a huge impact in funding the upkeep of the Depot and Train Park!
🎄Thanks to our old friends who come every year, and to the new friends who found us this year. 🍪Thanks to the Scouts and Leaders of Griffith Girl Scout Troop 15620 for baking cookies for us to sell at our bake sale and for being part of the fun with their holiday hair club and headbands. 🌭Thanks to Griffith Cub Scout Pack 622 for again selling hot dogs and hot chocolate up at the Park during the event. 🥧Thank you TriKappa for donating baked goods! 🏫Thanks to the Griffith Public Schools for helping get the word out about Santa in the Caboose. 🌳Thanks to the Park Department for sharing the info at Central Park. 🏢Thanks to all the businesses that let us put flyers in their windows. 👋Hopefully we didn’t forget anyone!! 🙋♀️And a huge thanks all the Griffith Historical Society members who decorated the Depot and railcars, worked to promote the event, made goodies to sell, and made the event run smoothly!! ✨A special shoutout to volunteers/members Karen, Nancy, Martha Belinda, John, Laura, Valerie, Debbie, Jim and Beth for making this weekend a success!
🎅🤶And, of course, a big thanks to Santa and Mrs. Claus!
We had a wonderful time and we’ll see you next year!!
𝐀 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐬 to EVERYONE who donated to this year’s ElmerJ Program for Griffith’s 3rd graders!
This isn’t nearly all the thank you notes and pictures we received. There were oh-so-many more, and all equally as grateful and excited that they were able to visit our museum and learn about Griffith’s history AND that it was all completely funded by the kind donations of our Members!!
So THANK YOU once again! You can donate to us anytime via the “donate” button on our website. And if you would like to volunteer for events like these, or anything down at the Historical Society, please send us a message or email ([email protected])! We are always looking for volunteers and enthusiastic Griffith-ites to help our programs run!
Griffith History Museums 