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Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of the Museum has yet to be documented,  the history of Vaughan itself.  During my time with the Museum I have come in contact with many of the residents and former residents of this town, each has a story to tell.

Once a thriving town and now nearly a ghost town, Vaughan almost centers around the Casey Jones story.  Nowhere else in the nation (except maybe for Jackson, TN) will you find people as knowledgeable and interested in Casey Jones.  Everyone in the area has relatives who visited the wreck and many have artifacts of the wreck in their possessions.  These Casey Jones items are as treasured as any family heirloom.

One story I have uncovered that I found particularly interesting was the fate of Casey's hat and gloves.  Another resident tells me that for many years after the wreck, the subject of Casey Jones came up in most every conversation.

The Museum itself is built on the site of a former "juke joint".  It started out as a store and was a store on April 30, 1900.  Next door is the old drugstore building and post office.  Residents tell me it has always been called the drugstore even though no pharmacist has ever worked in the building.

The Museum and drugstore building reside in a particularly sharp curve in Vaughan Road.  One resident tells me that he personally rebuilt portions of the drugstore porch on two or three occasions as his workers, having had too much to drink, would miss the curve.  Messena finally buried some telephone poles to help protect the porch but I can tell you, from experience, that this doesn't work too well.  We have rebuilt the museum's fence on two occasions since I took charge.  People are still missing that curve regularly.

Vaughan is also the home of Greg Harkins, nationally known for his rocking chairs.  Greg's chairs reside in places like the White House and the Vatican.  Hopefully, some day, Greg will tell me how someone from Vaughan ends up in contact with the Vatican.  As colorful a character as Greg is, the story is bound to be a good one.

Once the Centennial is through, I plan to learn more about Vaughan and its residents.  Hopefully, I can find a medium through which to preserve their unique history.

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