A MUSEUM and visitors center is scheduled to open in April in Hampstead, thanks to Wayne Thomas, the chief visionary behind a project that began as a quick fix four years ago and has consumed the weekend hours of about 30 volunteers.
The Hampstead Train Station Committee Inc. was formed to prevent deterioration of the building and return it as close as possible to its original condition. When finished, the station's passenger area will display artifacts of town history. The freight area, accessed by a new ramp, will eventually house a model railroad. Modern amenities, such as restrooms and storage, have been added to the floor plan.
"It has been an interesting project," Thomas said. "We started with thinking new paint, and it turned into a labor of love. You gotta love it, 'cause it's a lot of labor."
The station, situated where the railroad tracks cross Gill Avenue, dates to 1912 and is pictured on the town seal.
About six committee members help raise money, and another four make up the historical committee. The others have been rebuilding. The committee recently received a grant for $50,000 from the Maryland Historical Trust, which represents half the amount believed to be needed to finish a long list of essential construction before opening to the public.
"We have to match the $50,000 in cash or in-kind services," Thomas said, so he has secured a line of credit from Allfirst Bank to be replenished by fund raising. He estimates that the committee has received about $18,000 worth of services from skilled volunteers, who turn up wearing tool belts on any warm weekend to tackle the next task.
When big projects are scheduled, about 10 volunteers typically come to help.
In February 1998, they faced a leaking roof, gaping holes, rotted wood and an interior used for storage. They covered the roof with a tarp until they could start rebuilding when the weather turned warmer in March. This year, exterior paint was applied, signaling that the building was again sound.
In the next month, professionals will apply a slate roof, followed by electric, plumbing, insulation and a heating system. Thomas will count on volunteers to install wainscoting and flooring, and to varnish the wood as it was done in 1912.
Original window sashes have been stripped, and they will receive panes of glass from the time period. The station master's desk, found amid debris and identified through photographs, will be stripped of industrial green paint to look as it did 90 years ago. It will be returned to the ticket booth that opens on two sides -- to the passenger area and overlooking the tracks.
"I'd be happy to have Hampstead become a whistle stop on an excursion train in Carroll County," Thomas said.
For now, excursions arrive in the form of antique and exhibition-quality cars at the committee's fund-raising car show, held at Black & Decker with the help of the Astro's Car Club. In October, the show attracted 111 cars whose owners paid $10 each for a chance to win an assortment of trophies.
The next car show will be on Father's Day, June 15, in the parking area at Black & Decker, off Route 30. To register a car or become a vendor, call Steve Baldoni at 410-239-0750.
"Our goal is to have the museum open seven days a week," Thomas said.
It will serve as a visitor center with maps and guides to the area.
To become a train station volunteer, call Thomas at 410- 374-1421.
Thank you
I wrote my first weekly column for the North Carroll area in September 1992. I didn't expect to write every week for a decade, but as weeks went on, the phone would ring with an introduction to someone with an outstanding hobby or idea or accomplishment.
I am grateful for all the news tips from community organizers who faithfully called me, or dropped a note, or stopped me in the grocery store. It has been my pleasure to explore the treasures of this area and meet so many who have been so willing to share their interests and spend countless hours with me so that readers could be informed. There have been so many people, far too many to name, so I must say thank you to everyone who shared their curiosity and events with me.
Beginning Jan. 1, the Carroll County edition will no longer carry weekly columns about the North, Central and other sections of the county. The North column will end today.
Some stories will need to be told, and from time to time I might be the one to tell them. But the events you have so willingly shared with me should be directed to Ellie Baublitz for inclusion in the Carroll datebook. The address is: The Sun, Carroll County bureau, Winchester Exchange, 15 E. Main St., Westminster 21157. The fax number is 410-751-7916.
It has been my pleasure to get to know the people and places of North Carroll. Thank you, everyone, for this wonderful gift.