Merci Train - Ohio

Ohio Merci Boxcar in 1997
Ohio Merci Boxcar in 1997
Boxcar after 2006 restoration
Boxcar after 2006 restoration
photo by Mr. Edward Andrix Jr.
Ohio Merci Car Artifacts
Ohio Merci Car Artifact
Picture by Earl Bennett

Location:
Camp Perry National Guard Camp
Near Port Clinton, OH

Contact:
Mrs. Anna Bovia
P.O. Box 225
Lacarne, Ohio 43439 635-2561

Artifacts:
A small collection of Ohio's gifts are housed in the State Historical Museum in Columbus.

Ohio Flag

Printer Friendly version of the above location information.



Whatever Happened to the Ohio boxcar?



The photos below were added July 31, 2010.
Photos by Earl Bennett

All of the items below were photographed at their permanent 'home' in a storage facility belonging to the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus. They are not on public display, but in 2009 were graciously shown to me by one of the curators.
For more information, contact the Center at (614) 297-2500 and ask for Cameron Wood or call him direct at (614) 297-2522.

Click on the images below to view full size

Doll sent by French girl to an American girl
Doll sent by French girl
to an American girl
This stone was inscribed with the name of a French town and thanked the Ohio Army unit which liberated the town during WW II
This stone was inscribed with the name of a French town and thanked the Ohio Army unit which liberated the town during WW II
Bust of Marquis Jean Lafayette
Bust of Marquis Jean Lafayette
Glass ashtray
Glass ashtray
Wall Decoration or 'hanging'
Wall Decoration or "hanging"
Homemade copper pan
Homemade copper pan


On March 2, 2011, we received the following letter.

Hi,

I am half French (mother) and half Scots (father). My grandfather and great-grandfather both were generals in the French army during WW1 (my grandfather died from mustard gas poisoning). Four of my seven siblings are French nationals; the rest are British, including me. Why make it easy, huh?

Anyway, my (French) sister, Annick, lives in Rambouillet, a bustling little township that lies about 30 miles west of Paris, where I too resided for 3 years in the early 60s. She recently sent me the attached cutting from her local newspaper that relates the visit of a French neighbor couple, Mr. & Mrs. Charlres Henri de Noirmont, to the home of Professor and Mrs Merrick of Cicinnati, OH.

I am attaching a translation.

BTW, my wife (Swiss) and I (British) emigrated from Geneva, Switzerland, to Columbia, South Carolina, in 1998. Needless to say, we love it here, or we would not have made the move.

Sincerely,
Yann Saunders

Here is the translation. MerciTrain.pdf

Below is a screenshot thumbnail of the newspaper article.

Click on the image below to view full size

French Newspaper Article

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