An effort to rebuild the popular Fernwood Railway Garden destroyed by a fire in October got a boost from students and staff at Howard-Ellis Elementary School in Niles.

On Thursday, students presented representatives of Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve with a $540 check toward reviving the 50 foot, by 50 foot structure, which featured multiple trains running at different levels through miniature lifelike landscapes.

The money was raised when students sold paper trains for $1 each over a period of three days and teachers donated money in order to wear jeans to work.

“I am always amazed by the generosity of Howard-Ellis students and staff,” said principal Michelle Asmus, adding that Fernwood is part of the school’s curriculum.

Students visit the public garden once a year, she said, and Fernwood staff visit the school throughout the year.

“We have a really strong relationship with them,” Asmus said. “It was heartbreaking when we found out the train had burned. Fernwood is near and dear to our hearts.”

 

Many donations

Fernwood director Carol Line said she was touched by the school’s donation and by the many other donations the nature garden has received since the fire.

To date, more than $12,000 has been raised to restore the railway garden, including more than $6,700 from a GoFundMe campaign.

“It wasn’t until reading comments on Facebook and the response to the extensive media coverage of the fire that I realized the true reach and impact of our little garden,” Line said. “We were quite touched by the stories and sentiments. Members of the community have been so generous with donations through GoFundMe and hand-delivered checks to us along with great stories.”

Line said a first-time visitor drove from Kalamazoo to gift trains that were part of his collection, while the Southwest Michigan Purdue Alumni Club donated money in order to restore a Purdue-themed train that was lost in the electrical fire.

“These stories and countless gifts and heartfelt remarks over social media and in response to the strong coverage by our local media have touched us all at Fernwood,” she said. “We are grateful to all.”

 

Rebuilding the rail garden

Line said while Fernwood is still waiting to learn the full cost of replacing the rail garden, she is confident that insurance will cover the costs.

“We do have a sizable deductible, and the generous donations will help us cover those dollars,” she said. “That still leaves us with extra dollars that will help to ensure the new garden returns with great integrity and perhaps a new feature or two.”

If all goes as planned, Line said the rail garden will reopen May 1.

“As soon as we have a date, we’ll make plans for a public opening to thank all who so generously contributed to the rebuilding efforts and to welcome the public to Fernwood to see the new garden,” she said.

As for now, the people who designed and built the original rail garden — Paul Busse and his team at Applied Imagination — plan to work on the rebuild this winter at their facility in Alexandria, Kentucky.

The major components of the exhibit would then be transported to Fernwood where the final touches and installation would take place in the spring.

Line said the new rail garden would be a mixture of some of the previous structure’s most popular features and new additions.

“The design team asked us to tell them about our favorite features of the railway garden and what we might like to see going forward,” Line said. “I know one of my favorite features was the large hollow log. I felt like a kid again each time I saw the little butterfly train approaching.”