About Harbor Country Museum of History + Rail

Photo: Railroading in New Buffalo was often a family effort. The photo shows men working in the New Buffalo train around 1940. Two of those pictured are father and son: Harvey Paddock (right) and his son Russell (left).

Established in 1989, the Harbor Country Museum of History + Rail, formerly the New Buffalo Railroad Museum, provides a historical record of the history of the area highlighting the significant role the railroad played in the development of the greater New Buffalo community. The Museum was built as part of the development and renovation of the vacated Pere Marquette Railroad Roundhouse property located on South Whittaker Street.

In the 1920s, the Pere Marquette Roundhouse was a major terminus connecting the rich trade area of Northern Michigan with the Chicago mercantile and shipping markets and served as the major employer for the residents of the New Buffalo area.

The Pere Marquette Railroad later became the Chesapeake & Ohio line, then Chessie Systems, and now the CSX line. The Museum building is a replica of the original Pere Marquette Depot that existed near the site in the 1920s, when steam locomotives ruled the rails. The original plans were discovered by life-long New Buffalo area residents Nadra and Al Kissman and Ron and Rol Oselka and the building was built from those original blueprints by Alvin R. Kissman, Dave Ohms, and George Slechta.

Over the years, the Museum has played host to a variety of community events and services. Children’s activities were added to delight people of all ages. Thousands of visitors have enjoyed visiting the Museum and seeing its many exhibits and artifacts.

Important Milestones

1989

Established in a custom-built replica of the Pere Marquette Railroad Depot

1990

Outpouring of “founding” donations

1991

Addition of a C & O Box Car; Creation of model train layout built to depict the village of New Buffalo in the 1920’s. The Museum is home for an interactive model train display featuring an HO scale train layout which shows visitors how the the village of New Buffalo may have appeared in the 1920s. Depicted are the train yard, roundhouse, turntable locomotive facility, Hobo Village, the Pelican Pond into which boiler wash was disposed, the Quonset Hut, which is now Oink’s Ice Cream, Whittaker Street (not to scale), and the surrounding neighborhood. Maintained by the Dunes Model Railroad Club, it demonstrates how important the Railroad was, not only to New Buffalo, but to the entire region.

1995

Addition of a Pullman World War II Troop Car, with interior displays and exhibit space.

1999

Establishment of New Buffalo Railroad Museum Endowment Fund that generates interest to support operations, maintenance and repairs.

2019

Addition of C&O Caboose.

2021

Updated Greater New Buffalo Veterans Display

2022

Greater New Buffalo Area Display with a focus on the New Buffalo Area Schools

2025

Following a strategic planning process involving Museum stakeholders, the Board of Directors voted to change the name of the Museum from the “New Buffalo Railroad Museum” to the “Harbor Country Museum of History + Rail”. It was apparent that this represented the desire to provide a greater focus on the overall history of the greater New Buffalo area while still paying homage to the role the railroad played in the area’s economic development.

The Pere Marquette Railway

New Buffalo was once a significant engine terminal on the Pere Marquette (PM) Railroad. Westbound trains would stop to refuel and top off their water tanks en route to Chicago. This was their last chance before leaving their own track line which changed over roughly 20 miles to the southwest. When you consider a steam locomotive of the day consuming one ton of coal for every twelve miles and 150 gallons of water per mile having stores of coal and water at convenient locations was the life blood of railroads.

New Buffalo was also the point where the PM branch from LaCrosse, Indiana joined the Chicago-Grand Rapids mainline.

In 1947 the Pere Marquette Railway of Michigan and Ontario merged with Chesapeake & Ohio Line.

Many of the Pere Marquette’s steam locomotives like the one pictured here spent their last days on the dead line at New Buffalo before being hauled away to be cut down to scrap.

The rail yard in New Buffalo ceased operations train operations in 1984. Much of the yard’s equipment was scrapped. The 90-foot turntable at the locomotive facility (roundhouse) was removed and relocated to Owosso for use at the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation’s Steam Railroading Institute.

Physical Address

530 S Whittaker St, New Buffalo, MI 49117

Mailing Address

PO Box 3, New Buffalo, MI 49117

Email

nbrrm@hotmail.com [to change]

Phone

(269) 820-1504 (in season)
(202) 669-4423 (off season)

Hours

April through October, Saturdays and Sundays
12:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Eastern)

The New Buffalo Railroad Museum, dba Harbor Country Museum of History + Rail, is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization.

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