For Tweetsie Railroad fans of a certain age, singing cowboy Fred Kirby will forever be remembered as the theme park’s sheriff. Those fans received devastating news this week when the word spread that all of the Fred Kirby memorabilia housed in the Tweetsie museum was lost in a weekend fire.
Official reports indicate that an early-morning fire destroyed one of the original buildings at Tweetsie on Sunday, March 16th. The building, thought to be an actual train depot moved to the theme park site before it opened in 1957, housed the Depot Gift Shop and Museum.
Members of the Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue and the Boone Fire Department responded to 911 calls at approximately 4 a.m. to find the building completely engulfed. The two departments had the blaze contained and cleared the scene before 9 a.m., but the building and its contents were a complete loss.
During the 1960s and 70s, Fred Kirby was the star of a WBTV-Charlotte Sunday morning program for kids, along with his sidekick Uncle Jim, played by Jim Patterson. Over the years the show was known as Whistle Stop, Fred Kirby’s Little Rascals, and Kirby’s Corral. Each summer, Kirby would make multiple personal appearances in Blowing Rock as Tweetsie’s sheriff, appearances that proved to be among the most popular special events in the theme park’s history. Kirby died in 1996 at age 85.
The Tweetsie Museum’s Fred Kirby collection included his classic red cowboy shirt with white fringe, a cream colored Stetson hat, a leather gun holster with silver buckle, initialed leathered boots and saddle, as well as many photos and other items.
Other items lost in Sunday’s fire at the museum include original timetables for the East Tennessee & West North Carolina Railroad Company that ran between Johnson City, Tenn. and Boone, black-and-white photographs and railroad lanterns dating to the 19th century.
The cause of Sunday’s fire is still under investigation though officials have said an electrical problem or a lightning strike are possible culprits. No foul play is suspected and no one is believed to have been on the premises at any time before the fire that morning.
Officials stated that a second building that houses restrooms, located about 10 feet from the museum building, suffered some heat damage during the fire. They also indicated that it was a good thing that 911 was called as soon as it was because high winds Sunday morning could have easily spread the blaze to neighboring buildings at the theme park.
Tweetsie Railroad is scheduled to reopen for the 2008 season on May 2nd. Cathy Robbins, marketing director for the theme park, confirmed that the opening date will remain the same, although plans for reconstruction of the museum and gift shop are unclear at this time.
“We are still recovering from the fire, but we will definitely open on May 2,” said Robbins. “We have several excellent entertainment events planned for the coming season.”
For Tweetsie, the fire is the second major event of its kind in two decades. In August of 1988, another gift shop, this one located on the other side of Tweetsie’s Main St., burned in a fire. The building was subsequently rebuilt.