The work day is almost over on this Tuesday, November 03, 2009. Back on standard time, we are driving home in the dark and hoping that bicyclists and walkers don reflective gear so they can be easily seen.

Our Fairhaven neighborhood now has a new look. A bit of history has been removed to become a bit of history elsewhere. And just what am I talking about? The antique railway cars located on the lot at the corner of 12^th and Harris are no longer there. Ralph and Mike Black, brothers and the lot owners, gave Debra Wharton Pearce, a developer and business owner, the railway cars for free. However, it is costing her more than a $100,000 to remove them.

Wharton Pearce is a railroad historian who interned at the Whatcom Museum and feels it is worth it to preserve the three cars that date back to the early 20^th century. Her plan is to move them to Pennsylvania and preserve them as part of a tourist development. She’ll use one car as a children’s railroad museum, another as a gift shop and the third as a restaurant. They’ll be part of a commercial development inside a theme park in Mercersburg, a town about 30 miles west of Gettysburg.

What is to replace this bit of history? The Blacks want to erect a building there reminiscent of the long-gone Fairhaven Hotel. Their project has been stalled by difficulty obtaining financing for the building and they may have to wait until there is a softening of the credit market.*

So with eager anticipation, Fairhaven residents and businesses are keeping a watchful eye on the project and hope to see it realized.

*Material gathered/quoted from the Bellingham Herald, Monday, November 2, 2009, Trek into history begins