Cotton Belt Railroad Symposium Aug. 16 At A&M-Commerce

COMMERCE, Texas – The Second Annual Cotton Belt Railroad Symposium will bring former and current railroad employees and their families and noted authors at Texas A&M University-Commerce on Saturday, Aug. 16.

The symposium on railroad legacy and lore is from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Gee Library.

Authors and historians speaking will be Jonathan Gerland, Dr. Otha Spencer, and Cheryl Westhafer.

Gerland will discuss the Cotton Belt and connecting railroads and their importance in the communities in and around the Commerce area.

Spencer will discuss the social impact of the railroad in the communities in the Commerce area.

Westhafer will present the artifacts from the railroad collection at the Commerce Public Library.

The program will also feature a panel of current and former railroad employees and family members who will recount various aspects of railroad life. The proceedings will be videotaped and included in Gee Library’s Digital Archives.

Cotton Belt and railroad artifacts from the Commerce Public Library and Arkansas Railroad Museum’s Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society collection will be on display.

There will be time in the afternoon for visiting, sharing, and recording video histories related to railroad experiences.

The conference is presented by the A&M-Commerce Department of Educational Leadership, James Gee Library, and the Commerce Public Library.

For more information, call Gee Library at 903-886-5737 or email [email protected] at 903-886-8066.