Views of the Neighborhood – The Merci Train

~ John W. Howell

Linda Leinen, a remarkable historian of all things Texas, wrote to me last week with some information about The Merci Train. Here is a little about the train taken from the Merci Train Website, which is HERE.

The Texas site is HERE.

The Merci Train was a train of 49 French railroad box cars filled with tens of thousands of gifts of gratitude from at least that many individual French citizens. They were showing their appreciation for the more than 700 American box cars of relief goods sent to them by (primarily) individual Americans in 1948. The Merci Train arrived in New York harbor on February 3rd, 1949, and each of the 48 American states at that time received one of the gift-laden box cars. The 49th box car was shared by Washington D.C. and the Territory of Hawaii. Parades and welcome ceremonies were conducted in the state capitals and major cities of almost all the states.

The train’s boxcars are maintained in honor of all those who helped liberate France during World War II. The work being done by Veterans and volunteers. Linda further stated that the boxcar sent to Texas is at Camp Mabry in Austin. I couldn’t help myself, so off we went to see for ourselves. I hope you enjoy the tour. We are catered by Luties of Austin, and our entertainment is Edith Piaf.

Brunch Menu

Pastries
Croissant Pain Au Chocolat Kouign Amann Cheese Danish

Frozen Yogurt, Melon, Cucumber
Matcha Overnight Oats, Strawberry, Raspberry
Lemon Soft Serve, Granola, Apricot
Petit Aioli
Estate Bread, Saffron Honey, Butter Terrine
Turkish Eggs, Yogurt. Chili, Flatbread
Bagels with Almost Everything
Hangtown Fry, Oysters, Bacon, Tomato
Oyster Mushroom Hash Brown, Fried Egg, Radish, Habanero Yacoro Rojo Crêpes, Soft Scrambled Egg, Mornay, Black Trumpets Gulf Shrimp Omelette, Smoked Trout Roe, Hollandaise Barbecued Gulf Shrimp, and Grits
Croque Madame, Smoked Ham, Sunny Side Egg, Gruyere Waffle, Roasted Banana, Pumpkin Seed
Sourdough French Toast, Tumeric, Golden Raisins

Picture of an old time school bus

We are ready.

Here we are at Camp Mabry, an active military base.

The seal of gratitude and French flag from the people of France to the people of the United States.

A Forty and Eight boxcar from The Train of Gratitude (also called the Merci Train) shows the seals of all the French providences and the train seal itself.

The Forty and Eight explained. The car can carry forty men or eight horses without straining your eyes. The cars were used in the two World Wars to transport men and material to the front.

The display below the car shows items from left: The Life magazine article of February 28th, 1949, about the gift of the train, A World War I souvenir letter opener from 1918 to 1920, A Moroccan Koummya Dagger 1880 to 1940, and a German bayonet from World War I fashioned into a Simitar 1880 to 1918. The knives were gifts contained in the car.

The view of the other side of the car with a mannequin present showing the scale.

The French people gathered gifts and donated them to the effort. Some gifts, such as toys, dolls, and service medals, are very personal. All were from individuals. Here is a small sample.

The gift of a sword was included.

Morter and pestle

Handkerchiefs.

Horse drawings.

The front of a carving with the following story.

The back of the carving.

There were countless gifts in the car, and none of them are on public display. They are preserved at the Briscoe Center for American History on the University of Texas campus. You can see more photos of them by clicking the Texas link above.

Well, that is the tour. Now it is time to relax and enjoy the music. If you want to know more and find the car for your state, just click on the links above, then go to the banner and click on your state. There will be a location of the car for that state. I hope you all have a great week. Thanks to Linda for the heads up.

82 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – The Merci Train”

  3. A great story of that era, John. There is always another tale from that we are not aware of, no matter how much we read and research!
    Thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I wonder why we never learned about this in our history lessons. Interesting find, John. It looks like the AL display is closer to me than the one here in Florida.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know about this. What an interesting story, John! My husband (as a devout history buff) will want to visit the Merci train near us. It’s in Holly Hill, which is not a long drive at all. A perfect outing for when the weather cools a bit.

    Thanks for another great Views of the Neighborhood post! Have a great day! 😀 ❤

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I think we both will, even though I’m not “into” history to the extent Mark is. I’m looking forward to seeing the exhibit. Thanks again for such an interesting post! 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  13. John Mon Ami, thank you for the very interesting piece of history. You prompted me to find Indiana’s boxcar. It is located in Ft. Wayne Indiana at the Veterans National Memorial Shrine and Museum. Unfortunately, it is not a very popular exhibit. It seems that the unrefrigerated box car was loaded with Bri and Fois gras. The Brie and Fois gras are long gone but the odor lingers on.
    I’m off to have some Quiche and a nice Sauvignon Blanc for brunch.
    Have a great Sunday.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. How sad to learn the Illinois boxcar possibly was destroyed. I guess it just proves that too often, people don’t appreciate what’s given to them (I know, that sounds like an old grouch!) Anyway, this is a great story, and it doesn’t surprise me one bit that Linda was the impetus for it — thanks to both of you!

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  15. Don’t you just love discovering wonderful and unexpected things like this? Who knew? I’ll have the Croque Madame whilst listening to one of my favourites…
    Happy Sunday, John!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. My son told me when he was in France for VE Day with the 82nd Airborne that the French are STILL grateful to us and were very kind.
    It’s so hot, I’ll have the frozen yogurt and melon.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. What a fascinating post, John. I enjoyed your photos and text immensely; I certainly am glad you were able to visit and share the experience with us. I’m glad that my Kansas friend visited her state’s Merci Train and shared that, too — think how many people may now take the chance to track down their own state’s train car, and have a visit!

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  23. I knew nothing about the Merci Train! I looked up the ones from the New England states. Maine has done the best job of preserving the car and the gifts. Massachusetts scrapped their box car in 1965. 😦

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        1. A shame for sure. Those cars stand in honor of those who gave their lives that the French could be free. They also represent the generosity of the American citizens after the war in sending supplies arranged and paid for by the public.

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  28. Great information, dear John! If only the modern people of the blue chicken country knew about it…they would not believe. They are incredibly mean at present! 🍤🍤🍤🍻😊

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        2. 😁😁😁 Now, you do, dear John. Normandie, Bretagne, Alsace are not France as well as most of other provinces. They keep the local spirit & do the right thing. 😉😉😉😎

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