The
Railway and Locomotive Historical Society
Mid- South Chapter
The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Inc. (R&LHS) is the oldest organization in North America devoted to railroad history, and among the first anywhere to pursue formal studies in the history of technology. Its object is to promote research and to encourage preservation of documentation pertinent to business history, finance, labor history, and biography as well as technology.
Founded in 1921 the Society has ten local/regional chapters, which are open to all national society members. Chapter membership requires membership in the national society. Memberships are offered in the national society plus, optionally, as many chapters as the member may wish to join.
The Mid-South Chapter, the newest chapter in the R&LHS, was founded in 2008 and holds meetings at the historic Leeds Depot, in Leeds, Alabama, near Birmingham. The meeting schedule is every second Saturday in the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. The Mid-South logo is shown at the right above, and represents the Leeds Depot, built in 1883 by the Southern Railway.
The current officers are:
Chairman, Marvin Clemons 412 Balcourt Drive., Birmingham, AL 35206
Treasurer, Stan Burnett 115 Hendrix Street., Oneonta, AL 35121
Working with the City of Leeds and the Leeds Historical Society, the Mid-South Chapter is working to include two exhibit rooms in the historic depot building. One will replicate a typical railroad station agent's office. The other will contain a set of exhibits related to Birmingham's rich local railroad history.
The Mid-South Chapter meetings typically include a speaker as well as a business meeting related to the Chapters activities and projects. The Chapter participates in the City of Leed's Downtown Folk Festival and John Henry Celebration which includes an open house at the depot.
Currently, membership in the Mid-South Chapter stands at 50 members. Not bad for a relatively new organization, but then there are a lot of railroad fans in Birmingham. If you like railroads, why not come and visit?
Links of interest:
| Railway and Locomotive Historical Society | Sample Newsletter, The Mid-South Flyer | |
| Downtown Folk Festival and John Henry Celebration | ||
| Contact the Mid-South Chapter by email |
This webpage is currently under development by the Mid-South Chapter. Constructive e-mail comments are welcome.