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Brought to you by the Lewistown Society for Historical Preservation
The Rasmussen Museum is Fulton County’s newest
tourist attraction.
The 130-year-old building is the last vestige of the Fulton
County Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Mid-April through October: Friday & Saturday Open 10
a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Opened weekends during the Fall Festival 9 a.m. – 5
p.m.
Special tours by appointment – Phone: 547-2596 or 547-2081
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| The Rasmussen Blacksmith Shop is an authentic preservation of a turn of the century working shop. Nels Rasmussen an emigrate ttom Denmark started the shop in 1893 on Main Street near the downtown business area of Lewistown. After Nels death the shop was then operated by his son Don until his death in 1969 and was the oldest operating proprietorship owned by the same family in Lewistown. The shop was then acquired by the Society to preserve this part of early craftsmanship. During the operation of the shop buggy making, wheels and as steel wheel were produced along with the horse shoeing and other forge and anvil work. The pulleys and shafts are still overhead that powered the grinders, buffers and other equipment of the shop. The Rasmussen Blacksmith Shop appears today much as it did the last day of operation by the Rasmussen's—an unchanged look at a trade and technology of bygone days. |
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The Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railroad
Company was formally organized October 9, 1878, with local
directors to include: Edwin Harris, Nathan Beadles, Moses
Turner, Lewis Ross, Henry Phelps, M. Bordner, and J. C.
Willcoxen.
Construction began at Fairview, IL in
October 1878, and in 1879 one engine and seventeen cars
were purchased. The first train arrived at Lewistown from
Cuba on August 16, 1880 and continued to run for 25 years,
extending its route to include 61 miles of 3 foot gauge
tracks that ran south from Galesburg to West Havana with
stops at Levingston, Delong, London Mills, Oak Mount,
Fairview, Bybee, Fiatt, Put Creek, Cuba, Phillips, Lewistown,
Sepo, and Havana.The railway consisted of 183 |
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curves, typical of narrow gauge
which followed the hills and valleys of the beautiful
Spoon River Country.
The #1 train, aptly named the “Lewistown”
arrived in Lewistown in May 1880 and was purchased for
$6050.00. It was primarily used haul rails for laying
the tracks and as a passenger train.
The eight stations along the line were
the wooden prairie type painted red, excluding Lewistown
and Fairview which were built of brick.
In 1905 the entire 61 miles was converted to standard
gauge, thus ending over a quarter century of narrow
gauge service
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This often overlooked brick building
on the corner of Washington and Jefferson Streets
in Lewistown, IL is the last reminder of the Fulton
County Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Recently the Lewistown Historical
Society purchased the building, and along with the
generous donation of Lewistown resident Harold Higgins,
a well-known local railroad collector, the 130-year-old
depot has become the county’s newest tourist
attraction.
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| The Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railroad museum building is the last reminder of this railroad system. The depot is located on the comer of Washington and Jefferson in Lewistown. The narrow gauge railroad ran ttom 1878 to 1905. The route extended for 61 miles ttom Galesburg to West Havana with stops at Levingston, DeLong, London Mills, Oak Mound, Fairview, Bybee, Fiatt, Put Creek, Cuba, Phillips, Lewistown, Sepo and Havana. The site as an added attraction is the home of a caboose which is available for tours. |
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New: Rasmussen Blacksmith Shop Coloring Book
for
kids and adults includes sketches of tools.
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Also ABC’s Books available at the Rasmussen Museum.
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Artwork and Sketches are by Rasmussen descendents.
FREE ADMISSION
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