The McComb Railroad Depot Museum was awarded the Mississippi Heritage Trust Award for its rehabilitation following an arson in 2021 that destroyed the museum.
The museum was burned down in the summer of 2021 by a “highly disturbed” individual named Markez Delmont Smith who was later arrested by local authorities and convicted of one count of first-degree arson. Smith broke through a window in the artifacts room, which held the museum’s most valuable items and set fire to the building, ruining many rare, historical artifacts.
“The depot went up in flames pretty quickly because there were so many things that were paper or wood. Things that would burn very easily,” said Ganeath Daniel, who co-directs the McComb Railroad Depot Museum alongside her husband. “So we learned a lesson from that.”
The building itself is owned by the city of McComb, allowing the museum to secure insurance funds for repairs after the fire, Daniel said. Replacing the museum’s lost contents, however, fell largely to museum staff and donors.
“People from all over the United States have sent us artifacts from New Orleans, Chicago, and beyond,” Daniel said. “We’ve had people from Arkansas, Nebraska, and even as far away as the United Kingdom donate things to our museum.
“We have gone over and beyond just regular contents. We have done improvements on the building, with the city’s permission, and we have spent some of our own money and donations that have been made.”
Those various donations came from individuals, memberships, and a few fundraisers, but the largest share has come from grants. The most recent of those was an America250 grant, which the depot museum plans to celebrate with a series of festivities as they approach the Fourth of July.
“We have costumes for George and Martha Washington, Betsy Ross, Uncle Sam, and other American figures,” Daniel explained. “All of these people are being included in local presentations. Not only are we doing that, but Summit is doing a red, white, and blue golf cart parade that will include our little train, which will carry our lead figures.”
The depot museum has been thriving since the community came together to help rebuild after the fire in 2021, allowing them to reopen their doors this past March. In addition to the money they’ve received for America’s 250th birthday, they have also been awarded the Mississippi Heritage Trust Award for the rehabilitation of the destroyed museum and artifacts.
“This award was presented for excellence in preservation, stewardship, and education,” Daniel said when asked about the specifics of the award. “But even though it says ‘McComb City Railroad Depot Museum,’ it speaks for volumes of people who have been involved with this. It’s not just for the co-directors, Sam and Ganeath Daniel, it’s for all the people who have helped us.”
The co-director thinks very highly of her volunteers. According to her, they have been invaluable in the restoration and upkeep of the museum, and she’s happy to see them so thrilled that their hard work is being recognized.
“All of our volunteers have been so excited to walk up and read the certificate that we framed. They’ve already started picking out places they want it displayed because it is just as much theirs as it is ours,” she emphasized.
To celebrate their achievement, the depot museum plans to hold a formal presentation and certificate-hanging ceremony on site on July 9.
