[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FREEDOM TRAIN

  (Mr. GOODLATTE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, exactly 50 years ago today on September 
17, 1947, the Freedom Train began its historic 16-month tour across the 
United States. This special train, commonly known as the Spirit of 
1776, carried over 100 historic documents to hundreds of communities in 
all of the then 48 States.
  More than a rolling museum, the Freedom Train was a 16-month 
experiment in civic awareness that provided a vivid reminder of the 
greatness of America's heritage to a nation still recovering from 
economic depression and world war.
  Imagine what it must have felt like to see the Freedom Train rolling 
into your hometown in 1947 and open its doors to reveal original 
documents like the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact and the 
Declaration of Independence. The Freedom Train's tour logged more than 
37,000 miles.
  Today railroading enthusiasts across the country pause to pay tribute 
to this unique train and to its enlightened mission to renew pride in 
our Nation's founding principles.
  I would like to give special thanks to Mary Jayne and John Z. Rowe, 
two Virginians who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the special 
story of the Freedom Train will never be forgotten.

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