Southwest Michigan lost a treasured asset Wednesday when a fire essentially destroyed the railway garden at Fernwood, but we truly believe that strong community support will allow this train to return to the proverbial station better than ever.

The display was a popular destination for young and old alike, drawing people from across the entire region and beyond to enjoy the tranquility of the Buchanan Township botanical gardens and nature preserve.

Renowned landscape architect Paul Busse built the railway garden — which featured four trains running at different levels — that opened to the public in June 2009. In addition to its winding tracks and natural beauty, the exhibit featured replicas of local historical buildings — including the Niles Amtrak Depot, Pears Mill in Buchanan, Golden Dome of Notre Dame, Niles Chapin Mansion and the St. Joseph Lighthouse. The Golden Dome and Pears Mill replicas were damaged, but the others were not severely damaged.

Carol Line, executive director at Fernwood, called it “the little train that saved Fernwood,” crediting the display for helping the organization weather tough times when visitation had declined.

Fernwood employees and volunteers were understandably devastated, as were many people within the community.

As a testament to the goodness of human nature and the love for the gardens that have been an integral part of the community for more than 50 years, it did not take long before the community began to rally around an effort to rebuild.

A Go Fund Me account has already been set up (www.gofundme.com/j36w62xg) and allows individuals to contribute to this effort. In just a few hours nearly $1,000 has already been raised toward the $10,000 goal. This would be a nice supplement to the monies the gardens will invest in rebuilding the attraction that cost more than $50,000 originally and has also been added to several times since.

We are thankful that no one was hurt in the fire. It certainly was a sad day for southwest Michigan because it meant so much to so many people.

The true measure of a community is how it responds to adversity and we are confident ours will rise to the challenge and get this train back on track.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.