DARLINGTON — The Lafayette County Historical and Genealogy Society (LCHGS) is launching a fundraiser to support the restoration of the Caboose and the work of the Society in general. LCHGS is a 501(c)3 organization that maintains two historic properties in Darlington, a Museum and archives free and open to the public year-round, and the Depot and Caboose open summer weekends. The mission of the society is to collect, preserve, and share the history of the people places and events of Lafayette County’s history. They are funded by member dues, donations, grants, and fundraisers.
The largest project in some time has been the restoration of a 1937 caboose on the tracks beside the Darlington Depot. Work on the interior is scheduled for this summer. To make the Depot and Caboose an attractive space for visitors, a brick patio is going to be laid just outside the caboose.
The fundraiser is the opportunity to support LCHGS by having a brick of the patio engraved per your instructions. Add your name to the site to show your support. Or add the names of loved ones, family, friends, organizations, or businesses. The patio will be constructed by Kyle McCarville’s “Green Thumb Landscaping.” The bricks will be laser engraved by Neale Tollakson of Argyle. The bricks are $50 each. The bricks have space for one or two lines of text, 13 spaces long (letters and spaces).
On summer weekends, campers and residents will visit the caboose and enjoy reading the names on the bricks. During community events the Depot is often open — especially at Christmas time and the patio will add charm to the site. The Depot also serves as a “Welcome Center” with tourism information for visitors. LCHGS wants it to be attractive and welcoming as it is often a first stop of campers and Cheese Trail users.
If you would like to place an order for engraved brick(s), contact LCHGS at 608-776-8340. You can stop into the museum or find an order form at the Piggly Wiggly or Ace Hardware. You can also order bricks by purchasing online in the Website Shop, Donations section lafayettecohistoricalandgenealogy.com. A great way to show our support for the history of Lafayette County — write it in stone.
