There are two Casey Jones Railroad Museum in Mississippi. One is located in the town of Vaughan, founded in 1830, with a population of less than 1,300. It began as a stopover for stagecoaches and trade. The town is named after Major Henry Vaughan, one of the largest landowners in the area. Major Vaughan was one of the signers of the Mississippi Succession Ordinance. The town is located 30 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi. The museum is named after a railroad locomotive engineer killed in an accident. In 1900, Jonathan Luther “Casey” Jones worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and was running behind schedule when the accident occurred. Due to another worker’s absence, he had to drive the line between Memphis, Tennessee, and Canton, Mississippi. Jones (born 1863) bravely remained on board his speeding ten-wheeler Engine No. 382, known as “Cannonball,” when suddenly there were three trains up ahead, one of which was a stalled freight train on the tracks. He missed the warning flags. He tried to stop the passenger train, but it was going too fast. Once the engineer puts the brake in an emergency position, reverses the engine, and opens the sanders, the engine has no further need of the engineer’s service, and it is then up to air and steel to stop the train. Casey was the only one injured. None of the passengers were harmed. , His fireman, who was also on the train, jumped off before the trains collided. But Casey remained. This occurred in Vaughan, Mississippi, a mile north of downtown Vaughan.
There is also a Casey Jones Railroad Museum in Water Valley and another in Jackson, Tennessee. Once you learn about Casey Jones’ journey as a man who worked all his life on the railroad, you will understand the reasoning behind three museums. He was born Jonathan Luther Cayce Jones in Cayce, Kentucky, a city for which he gets his nickname, which he changed the spelling. Jones married and later went to work for the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. His route was between Columbus, Kentucky, and Jackson, Tennessee. After receiving a promotion to fireman, he worked the Jackson, Tennessee to Mobile, Alabama, route. After the yellow fever epidemic, he went to work for the Illinois Central Railroad. He worked between Jackson, Tennessee and Water Valley. After being promoted to engineer in 1891,
Jones was also known for his famous steam whistle; it sounded like a whippoorwill call or the war cry of a Viking. People traveling along his routes loved to hear the sound of the six-tubed whistle blow. There is a song that relegates the engineer to hero status. T. Lawrence Seibert is credited with writing the lyrics, and Eddie Newton is credited with creating the music (written in 1909). The song was titled “Casey Jones, The Brave Engineer.” Another song by the Delmore Brothers is believed to also celebrate Casey Jones. That song is titled “Freight Train Boogie.”
The museum in Vaughan was opened in 1980 by the State Bureau of Recreation and Parks in a restored depot that was moved from Pickens to Vaughan. The town of Vaughan has one store and a post office. In 2004, the museum moved downtown. It serves as a visitor’s center. The town has been abandoned. The museum is housed in a restored 1800 Pickens, Mississippi Railroad Depot. The history of the railroad, memorabilia, and items from the Casey Jones railroad wreck. People from around the world have visited this small museum. This museum closed in 2004.
Casey Jones, The Brave Engineer
(Song Number 3247 in the Roud Folk Song Index)
The Ballad of Casey Jones
(song by Grateful Dead, written by Ronnie Van Zant/Allen Collins)
Come all you rounders, if you wanna hear
The story ’bout a brave engineer
Casey Jones was the rounder’s name
On a 68-wheeler, boys, he won his fame
The caller called Casey at a half past four
He kissed his wife at the station door
Mounted to the cabin with his orders in his hand
And it took his final trip to the Promised Land
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
Casey Jones, with the orders in his hand
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
And it took his final trip to the Promised Land
Put in your water and shovel your coal
Put your head out the window and watch the drivers roll
I’ll run her till she leaves the rails
‘Cause I made hours late with the western mail
Come all you rounders, if you wanna hear
The story ’bout a brave engineer
Casey Jones was the rounder’s name
On a 68-wheeler, boys, he won his fame
The caller called Casey at a half past four
He kissed his wife at the station door
Mounted to the cabin with his orders in his hand
And it took his final trip to the Promised Land
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
Casey Jones, with the orders in his hand
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
And it took his final trip to the Promised Land
Put in your water and shovel your coal
Put your head out the window and watch the drivers roll
I’ll run her till she leaves the rails
‘Cause I made hours late with the western mail
Come all you rounders, if you wanna hear
The story ’bout a brave engineer
Casey Jones was the rounder’s name
On a 68-wheeler, boys, he won his fame
The caller called Casey at a half past four
He kissed his wife at the station door
Mounted to the cabin with his orders in his hand
And it took his final trip to the Promised Land
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
Casey Jones, with the orders in his hand
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
And it took his final trip to the Promised Land
Put in your water and shovel your coal
Put your head out the window and watch the drivers roll
I’ll run her till she leaves the rails
‘Cause I made hours late with the western mail
Casey Jones two locomotives
Casey Jones that’s going to bump
Casey Jones two locomotives
There’s two locomotives that’s going to bump
Casey said just before he died
“There’re two more roads that I’d like to ride.”
The fireman said, “Would that be
The Northern Pacific and the Santa Fe”
Mrs. Jones sat at on her bed a sighin’
Just to see the message that Casey was dyin’
Go to bed, children, and stop your cryin’
‘Cause daddy’s still a ridin’ that heavenly line
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
Casey Jones, with the orders in his hand
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin
And it took his final trip to the Promised Land
*There are approximately 200 versions of the song under various names.
Source
http://www.trainweb.org/casey/jones/home/html
Mississippi Home-Places: Notes on Literature and History by Elmo Howell, 1988.
Information on Major Henry Vaughan comes from his great-great grandson, https://misspreservation.com/2012/03/07/abandoned-vaughan-mississippi/
A History of Railroad Accidents, Safety Precautions and Operating Practices, by Robert B. Shaw, p290. (1978)