Huntington time capsule opened on NBC's "Today" Show

Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Magazine, Jul/Aug 2000

From The Cabell Record May, 4, 2000

Submitted with additional information by Donald Mills, Jr.

A little history was completed April 25, 2000, in Huntington's CSXT Central Region headquarters. The folks of two CSXT predecessor railroads, the C&O and the B&O, along with Norfolk Southern predecessor N&W, were in town to uncover a time capsule that was buried in 1956 under the statue of Collis P Huntington at what was then the C&O depot.

It seems the folks in 1956 formed "The Railroad Committee of the Huntington Area," consisting of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce and the Central Ohio Valley Industrial Corp. They persuaded the entire cast of NBC's four-year-old "Today" show to produce a special program to pay tribute to the three railways that served the area. Representatives of the railroads - J. B. Herring of the C&O, A. W Johnston of the B&O, and M.B. Young of the N&W - came up with the concept of Railroad Week, which was held April 23-28, 1956.

Admiral" Dave Garroway was the host of NBC's "Today" program. He arrived to staff the show in the cab of C&O engine No. 7005. Also from NBC were newscaster Frank Blair, announcer Jack Lescoulie, former Miss America Lee Meriwether, and "celebrity" J. Fred Muggs, a chimpanzee that was the mainstay of the "Today" program at the time. An estimated 15 million people throughout the country watched this program on the two days it aired from Huntington.

Arriving at Tri-State Airport on April 23rd, the NBC cast was greeted by thousands of people during a motorcade. They were housed at the Hotel Prichard on Sixth Avenue and Tenth Street.

Several events were held during the week including a handcar race between "Today's" Frank Blair and Jack Lescoulie. NBC mounted a camera aboard a maintenance-of way speeder to follow the race. Jack won, and received a kiss from the former Miss America. Dick McCutcheon of NBC questioned C&O conductor Clyde Harbour, a 54-year veteran who was assigned to the Fast Flying Virginian passenger train at the time. A tour of the C&O shops was conducted in addition to an exhibit that had several pieces of equipment such as N&W's streamlined "J" No. 600. The C&O had several engines on hand including F-unit No. 7004 and steam engine No. 492. Several newly painted B&O boxcars and a brand-new N&W gondola were also on hand. The gondola was one of 500 which the American Car & Foundry Co. of Huntington was building for the N&W at the time. Eighth Avenue was renamed "Railroad Avenue" for the week.

Also on hand was Maurice Hartz, now a Huntington Fire Department deputy (and C&OHS member), who says that his fourth grade class was also part of the crowd during the celebration.

Kentucky's future poet laureate, Jesse Stuart from W Hollow in Greenup, Ky, was also featured along with the Haylofters, a square dance group, and the Gospel Harmony Boys quartet.

The C&O treated passengers to a free daily train ride from the station to the shops for a tour by Superintendent J. L. Savage. The Hotel Frederick had a huge HO-gauge model railroad layout in the lobby that could be operated by pushing buttons. Sears, Roebuck & Company had a huge mock-up of a locomotive cab for the children. A poster contest titled "Huntington Serves The Nation" was staged with the directors of the Huntington Galleries, Marshall College Art Department and C&O's Fred Toothman as judges. The three top winners came from Huntington's segregated Douglas High School.

Celebrities such as C&O's chief hostess Mary Hahn made several appearances at Anderson Newcomb Department Store. Kentucky Governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler, West Virginia Governor William C. Marland, Senator Earle Clements of Kentucky, and Rep. Thomas A. Jenkins of Ironton, Ohio, attended. Letters from all three railroad presidents were read aloud.

A "Miss Railroads," Carole Smoles, an employee of WSAZ-TV at the time, was chosen. Carole was lucky enough to be on hand to see the capsule opening in 2000, as she was for its burial in 1956.

The simple truth is that these events would not have happened in 2000 if Carole had not written a letter to Don Maxwell, the president of the Collis P Huntington Railway Historical Society, calling attention to the importance of this event.

After talking with the former Ms. Smoles (now Murphy), I gave the material to Bob Withers, so that he could write an article for the Herald Dispatch. He called me back a few days later saying that no one knew where the time capsule was, and that it may have been destroyed when they moved the statue of Collis P to Heritage Station (the former B&O freight house). The time capsule was buried underneath the statue with the official bronze tablet marking its burial spot given to the C&O by the N&W Railway. The bronze plaque was made at Roanoke Shops. I took Bob to where the capsule was reburied beside the CSXT's C&O Business Unit headquarters in 1995. It was moved to this location to complement the railroad museum that is inside the building.

Bob's article ran, and I heard nothing about whether they were going to have any ceremony at all. Then I was informed that CSX, in conjunction with NS, would have a ceremony to open the time capsule. AI Rokor of NBC's "Today" show broadcast the weather from CSXT's Central Region Headquarters on April 25th, 2000, just as the folks in 1956 had planned.