Kalona 

Last Sunday, the Kalona Historical Village celebrated the grand opening of its new railcar exhibit.

The exhibit was the result of roughly eight months of planning before coming together. Kalona Historical Village Director Nancy Roth spoke about the extensive preparation that went into the project.

“We met twice a week—once with the larger group and once locally—to compile information and shape the exhibit,” Roth said. “We spent a lot of time discussing what we wanted people to understand when they saw this display, going through multiple rounds of edits and improvements before everything was finalized. It was a long process, and a lot of thought went into every part of the exhibit.”

The railcar itself was delivered in June 2024 by truck from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, with Blair Dillman handling the transport. The goal from the beginning was to bring the historic Milwaukee Road wooden railcar to Kalona, restore it and transform it into an exhibit.

Following its arrival, the railcar was restored and incorporated into the village grounds ahead of its official opening on Sunday, April 26.

During the grand opening ceremony, Roth thanked the many individuals and organizations who helped make the project possible. Those involved included Pete Buffer, owner of Absolute Construction & Home Repair; Jake Snider and his crew; Blair Dillman; Dean Anderson; the Washington County Riverboat Foundation; Billy Rigan; the Kalona Builders; Blaker Hershberger; Jay Thrapp; Todd Townsend; Lucas of Kalona Fabrication; and volunteers such as Jerry Beeler, Claudia Bishop, Dennis Boulk, Merlin Miller, Steve Reif, Myron Ropp, David Seale and Elijah Statler.

Roth emphasized the collaborative nature of the project. “Everyone always came together to get things solved and done, and that’s what made this project possible,” she said.

She also noted the importance of preserving the railcar’s original character. “We wanted to keep the originality of the car without compromising its structure.”

Before the railcar arrived, preparations had to be made to accommodate it. Hershberger constructed a pit in the concrete floor, allowing the car to be set in place. “Blake got the pit dug in the concrete floor with ease, and with some quick thinking to adjust the deck, we were able to lower the railcar into place with only inches to spare,” Roth said.

Roth also highlighted the unique features of the railcar, including black marks that remain on the floor. “That’s part of what makes it unique—those marks are part of its story,” she said.

Following her remarks, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to officially open the exhibit.

Members of the Washington County Riverboat Foundation were also in attendance, including Vice President Zac Haworth, Jan Dallmeyer and Stephanie Schlabaugh. 

The foundation awarded a $300,000 grant to the Kalona Historical Village in late 2023 to support the project.

While much of the work has been completed, Roth said there is still more to be done. “We’re not completely finished yet—we still have more work to do,” she said.

Future plans include additional fundraising for landscaping, further exhibit improvements and preservation efforts, including protecting the telegraph machine used for educational demonstrations, which Jim Miller uses regularly.

The new railcar exhibit is now on display at the Kalona Historical Village in Kalona.