History will be repeated in Danville on October 14th when a 1948 whistle stop train tour by President Harry S. Truman is recreated in Danville. Illinois Humanities, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities, is bringing the event to Danville in cooperation with the Vermilion County Museum.
On Sunday, October 14th, 2018 the groups will use costumes, props, songs and speeches to re-live the whistle stop speech and interview that President Truman made from the back of a train in Danville. Local and statewide historians will be on hand to provide context of the event which was broadcast live on WDAN Radio in 1948.
The train will be stopping at the East Main Street crossing along the east side of Danville’s downtown area (in the 200 and 300 block of East Main).
Vermilion County Museum Director Sue Richter says she and others involved in the event are very excited about it. The whistle stop in Danville has been in the planning stages for several months as part of the Illinois Bicentennial Celebration.
The Danville program is one of four participatory reenactments of significant moments in Illinois political history that connect the state to the nation. Others include the first state election in Kaskaskia; a parade in support of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield; and the first televised presidential debate in Chicago.
