A Train...A Song...A Legend

Casey Jones had a reputation for being one of the best engineers on the rails.  Neither he nor his fireman, Sim Webb, knew as they pulled out of Memphis with a train full of passengers that in the darkness of that Southern night a legend was waiting to be born.  His famous last ride occurred on April 30th, 1900.  He sacrificed his own life saving the lives of all of his passengers and crew.  The subsequent song written of his heroism catapulted his story into international acclaim. Be sure to read the whole story on "The Legend of Casey Jones" link to your right.  Today in Jackson, Tennessee the historic Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum serves as a tribute to the life and legend of Casey Jones and to the men and women of the railroad.

*Born March 14, 1863

*You will note that the tombstone in Jackson pictured on the left gives his birth year as 1864 but according to the information written in the family Bible by his Mother he was born in 1863. The tombstone was donated by two out-of-town railroad enthusiasts who accidentally got the birth year wrong.

*Moved to Cayce, Kentucky as a boy--received nickname from this town but spelled it "Casey"

*Moved to Jackson to work for the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Later went to work for the Illinois Central Railroad in Jackson.

*Married Janie Brady from Jackson. They had 3 children--two boys and one girl. At the time of Casey's death, son Charles was 12, daughter Helen was 10 and son John Lloyd was 4.

*Casey was killed in a train wreck in Vaughan, Mississippi, April 30, 1900 at 3:52 a.m. The train had left from the Poplar Street Station in downtown Memphis, Tennessee on its way to Canton, Mississippi. He was the only one killed in the wreck. Casey stayed with the train to slow it down as much as possible and thus the lives of passengers were saved from injury and possible death.

*Sim Webb was Casey's fireman who Casey told to jump moments before the wreck occurred.

*Casey is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery on Hardee Street in East Jackson.

*The home in Casey Jones Village is the original home where Casey and his family were living in 1900 at the time of the wreck. It was located on West Chester Street before being moved to Casey Jones Village in 1980.

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