Rail Car Grand Isle
Encyclopedia
The Rail Car "Grand Isle" is an exhibition building at Shelburne Museum
in Shelburne, Vermont
.
, president of the company, to Vermont Governor Edward C. Smith
. The car’s mahogany-paneled parlor, elegant dining room, staterooms, and plush furnishings typify the private luxury cars that became important symbols of rank to railroad men, business tycoons, and public figures in the final quarter of the 19th century.
Although Webb was trained as a physician, his father-in-law, William Henry Vanderbilt
, persuaded him to give up the medical profession and join the family’s railroad enterprise instead. As president of the Rutland Railroad and the Wagner Palace Car Company, Webb lived for part of the year in Shelburne, Vermont
, from whence he commuted with relative ease to New York City
. His own private car, the "Ellsmere", was similar in construction and style to the Museum’s Grand Isle.
When the Museum purchased the Grand Isle in 1960, its paneling had been painted, its fixtures replaced, and its lush fittings removed to convert it to use as a business car. J. Watson Webb, Jr.
, Dr. Webb’s grandson, supervised the car’s renovation ensuring that it would once again embody the days of luxury rail travel and commemorate his family’s role in the railroad industry.
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
in Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne is a town in southwestern Chittenden County, Vermont, United States, along the shores of Lake Champlain. The population was 7,144 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.
History
The Wagner Palace Car Company fabricated the rail car "Grand Isle" about 1890 as a gift, presented by Dr. William Seward WebbWilliam Seward Webb
William Seward Webb, M.D. was a businessman, and Inspector General of the Vermont militia with the rank of Colonel. He was a founder and former President of the Sons of the American Revolution.-Biography:...
, president of the company, to Vermont Governor Edward C. Smith
Edward Curtis Smith
Edward Curtis Smith was an American politician from the US state of Vermont. He was a Republican. He was married to Anna Bailey James, the granddaughter of Amaziah Bailey James on October 3, 1888, and they had four children; James Gregory, Edward Fairchild, Curtis Ripley and Anna Dorothea...
. The car’s mahogany-paneled parlor, elegant dining room, staterooms, and plush furnishings typify the private luxury cars that became important symbols of rank to railroad men, business tycoons, and public figures in the final quarter of the 19th century.
Although Webb was trained as a physician, his father-in-law, William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt I was an American businessman and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.-Childhood:William Vanderbilt was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1821...
, persuaded him to give up the medical profession and join the family’s railroad enterprise instead. As president of the Rutland Railroad and the Wagner Palace Car Company, Webb lived for part of the year in Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne is a town in southwestern Chittenden County, Vermont, United States, along the shores of Lake Champlain. The population was 7,144 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, from whence he commuted with relative ease to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His own private car, the "Ellsmere", was similar in construction and style to the Museum’s Grand Isle.
When the Museum purchased the Grand Isle in 1960, its paneling had been painted, its fixtures replaced, and its lush fittings removed to convert it to use as a business car. J. Watson Webb, Jr.
J. Watson Webb, Jr.
James Watson Webb, Jr. was an American film editor and heir to both the Havemeyer and Vanderbilt families.-Biography:...
, Dr. Webb’s grandson, supervised the car’s renovation ensuring that it would once again embody the days of luxury rail travel and commemorate his family’s role in the railroad industry.
See also
- Shelburne MuseumShelburne MuseumShelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
- Rail Locomotive No. 220Rail Locomotive No. 220Rail Locomotive No. 220 is an exhibition building at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.-Background:In 1915 the American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York built the Rail Locomotive No. 220, the last coal-burning, ten-wheeler steam engine used on the Central Vermont Railway...
- Shelburne Railroad Station and Freight ShedShelburne Railroad Station and Freight ShedThe Shelburne Railroad Station and Freight Shed are two exhibit buildings at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.In 1890 Rutland Railroad Station President Dr...
- William Seward WebbWilliam Seward WebbWilliam Seward Webb, M.D. was a businessman, and Inspector General of the Vermont militia with the rank of Colonel. He was a founder and former President of the Sons of the American Revolution.-Biography:...
- Webster WagnerWebster WagnerWebster Wagner was a postmaster, state official and inventor. He was born near Palatine Bridge, New York and worked as a wagon maker alongside of other family members....
- Shelburne Museum. 1993. Shelburne Museum: A Guide to the Collections. Shelburne: Shelburne Museum, Inc