Fred Kirby cowboy memorabilia lost
in early Sunday blaze
By Jeff Eason
Singing cowboy Fred Kirby
was a fixture at Tweetsie Railroad in the 60s and 70s.
Sunday morning a fire destroyed many of the items he
donated to Tweetsie’s museum.
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Tweetsie’s Museum and
Gift Shop were destroyed in an early morning fire last
weekend. The fire engulfed one of the theme park’s
original buildings, believed to be an actual train depot
moved to Tweetsie from Boone. Photo by Jeff Eason.
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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.
Melanie Davis contributed to this story.
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