Location:
New Jersey State Museum
205 W. State Street
Trenton, NJ 08625
Contact:
Nicholas Ciotola
Curator of Cultural History
(609) 826-3935
Artifacts:
The New Jersey State Museum in Trenton houses some of the artifacts removed from the Merci Train 40 & 8 boxcar that arrived in the Garden State in 1949. New Jersey officials accepted the boxcar on February 7, of that year at the War Memorial building in Trenton, across from the New Jersey State House. The New Jersey State Museum displayed artifacts from the Merci boxcar in a popular public exhibition from February 22 until March 27, 1949. At the exhibition's end, some of the items were accessioned into the State Museum's permanent collection. Additional artifacts from the Merci Train were donated to individuals, schools, and cultural organizations around the state. Artifacts still in the New Jersey State Museum's collection include dolls, commemorative medals, artwork from French school children, and a World War I era bugle. Some of the items still retain original Merci Train donation slips indicating the donor (in France) of each individual gift. The whereabouts of the Merci Train boxcar is unknown. Some sources indicate that it was destroyed.
For a possible appointment to view the N.J. Merci Train gifts held by the N.J. State Museum, contact Mr. Nicholas Ciotola at the museum.