The Freedom Train

The American Freedom Train was part of the nation-wide bicentennial celebration of 1975-76. A train carrying some of the country’s most historic documents and other interesting memorabilia travelled the entire country in 1975 and 1976 with stops in most major cities, including Peoria. The train was in Peoria at the foot of Water Street from July 18-21, 1975.

Days before its arrival in a big city, the train’s route was publicized so residents in small towns could watch the highly decorated train come through their town. The train was scheduled to come through Washington on July 17 around 4:00 p.m.

Large crowds started gathering on the 17^th around 4:00, especially around City Hall on Jefferson Street. Hundreds of residents lined the tracks to the point that police officers had to be called in the keep people out of the road and off the tracks. But there was another problem…

It seems that the train, when passing through Kankakee, Illinois, came upon a very sharp curve, which the engineer deemed too sharp for the train to be able to handle. After discussing this with the local authorities, who told the engineer that the curve was the only way through town, the train proceeded very slowly, and derailed on the curve.

This set the train’s schedule back hours, and it was 9:30 before the train’s whistle was first heard in Washington. The train crept through town on the TP&W rail around 10 miles per hour to a swollen throng of cheering Washingtonians who had patiently waited for hours.