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| Danville, Virginia |
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| The Wreck of the Old 97 |
| The wreck of the fast mail train #97 on November 22, 1903 was made famous by the hit record from the 1920s - "The Wreck of the Old 97." My grandparents Mark Daniel "Dan" Jones and his wife Annie were taking a nap in their house a few blocks from the wreck. Annie was pregnant with my mother Marie. When they heard the train whistle screaming, Dan told Annie, "Something's wrong!" He stepped out of a low window and was crossing Claiborne Street, when he heard the noise of the crash and saw the dust cloud. The third man to reach the wreck, Dan Jones helped to rescue any survivors. He said when they pulled out some of the dead, the skin rolled off the bones because of the steam. I grew up next door to my grandparents. When my grandmother died, this picture was in her keepsake trunk. In the detail at left, Dan Jones is the young man sitting left of the sheriff (note the sheriff's badge and billy stick). For more information about Dan and Annie Jones and the rest of my family, see our Family section. |
| The poster above shows Engine 1102 that pulled the Old 97 train. The engine was new from the Baldwin Factory in Philadelphia. This picture shows the engine after it was restored from the wreck damage and was used until 1930. The poster is printed on high quality photo-type paper; measures 16 in. x 20 in. See all our posters at Southside Books. |
| The picture above was taken after the engine had been set upright so it could be removed. The railroad gave the scrap wood to neighbors for firewood. |