As this Independence Day draws near, I hearken back to a time when America threw probably its biggest celebration party to date – the Bicentennial celebration.  Yes, in 1976, the nation went wild with festivals and celebrations for the nation’s 200^th birthday, and in the days before cell phones, YouTube, or Go Pros, one had to actually visit the special events going on around the country to experience the pomp, circumstance, and majesty of the spectacle.

Remember the “Tall Ships”?  This was a group of wind powered, multi-masted sailing ships from around the world that toured the country, stopping at ports all over the Eastern and Western seaboard, offering visitors a glimpse of seafaring life in the late 18^th and 19^th centuries.  I clearly remember visiting Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and touring the USCGC Eagle, the 295-foot, three-masted sailing vessel that represented the United States (and is still in use as a training vessel today).

But without a doubt, the talk of the town that summer was a chance to see the great touring exhibition of historical and cultural significance that would be making a stop in Hagerstown as part of its Bicentennial schedule –

The American Freedom Train.

Powered by three different steam locomotives, the 26-car train toured the country, visiting 48 states from 1975 through 1976.  It carried all sorts of American artifacts (over 500 in total), including George Washington’s copy of the Constitution, Judy Garland’s slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’, a replica of the Liberty Bell, and even a rock from the moon (to name but a few).

Over seven million people visited the train on its nationwide tour.  Seven million.  That’s not even counting the number of people who lined up along America’s railroad tracks just to get a glimpse of the train as it chugged along the rails from town to town.  Just getting a chance to see it was an event in itself.  People young and old would wave at the train from their cars or backs of pick-ups as they waited for it to simply whizz by, boasting to their friends – “I saw it”.

That red, white, and blue beauty finally made it to Hagerstown on September 22^st, 1976[1], holding court along the train tracks for its 115^th stop of the tour near Hagerstown’s City Park.  People came from miles around to see it.  As a young lad of eight, I remember waiting in line (with thousands of others) to ride through the display cars on motorized walkways, gazing in wonder at the artifacts.  It was a magical visit.

I can still remember the song that played incessantly that day, sung by country music legend Merle Haggard.  “All aboard America, here comes the Freedom Train” echoed everywhere around the exits.  My brother and I sang that song all night and for weeks afterward.

In just nine short years, America will celebrate its Sestercentennial (that’s 250 years old for you non-linguists).  Will our nation’s celebrations for that anniversary top those of the Bicentennial?  Hard to imagine, but one can always hope.

What do you remember about the Bicentennial?  Did you visit the Freedom Train?  Leave me a note in the comment section below, and have a safe and happy holiday!

 

 

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Freedom Train,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedom_Train&oldid=784769554 (accessed

July 2, 2017).