Lynn Moore, chair of History and Humanities, has a hands-on view of history, teaching lessons from the past at Wilmington University while preserving historic structures as a volunteer. At the Historic Georgetown Association, he recently launched a series of open houses for The Train Station Museum and Georgetown’s First Fire House, which were both restored by the HGA.
Moore is vice president of the HGA, founded by his uncle Carlton Moore in 1993. HGA is now celebrating 30 years as an organization.
The train station was the transportation hub for Georgetown and southern Delaware for half a century, from the end of the Civil War until the advent of automobiles. In 2003, HGA bought the dilapidated building from a private owner and rebuilt its second story, which had been damaged by fire. Later, its exterior was restored using the original bricks. Today, the station hosts local events like Return Day, a Delaware tradition dating back to 1792, and is home to a large model train that takes up a room.
In 2006, the group helped restore the original Georgetown firehouse built in 1909, which was moved from downtown and became part of a grain and feed store on Route 113 in 1926. When history buffs learned the structure was about to be demolished, they successfully lobbied to transport the building via flatbed truck to an empty lot across from the train station.
Open houses take place the first Saturday of the month through September.