On Saturday, August 1, for one day only, the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History is exhibiting a rare Glover Machine Works locomotive. Glover locomotive #10168, built in 1925, is believed to be one of only a handful of Glover locomotives in existence and the only one that is still capable of operating. It was recently discovered in a barn in Ohio. Its new owner, Daryl Kirby of Kirby Family Farm, is exhibiting the locomotive and its tender at the Southern Museum for a few short hours on August 1 before heading to the locomotive’s new permanent home in Williston, Florida. Dick Hillman, author of Glover Steam Locomotives: The South’s Last Steam Builder, will be on hand to see for the first time the locomotive he described as the “ultimate survivor.” Glover locomotive #10168 will be on display at the Southern Museum in downtown Kennesaw from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 1.
The Glover Machine Works of Marietta, Georgia, the South’s last steam locomotive builder, produced over 200 locomotives in the early twentieth century. The Southern Museum is home to the Glover’s massive collection of artifacts and corporate records. The Museum galleries feature a large scale model of the Glover plant, a recreation of the company’s office, countless patterns, and the nation’s only full-scale reproduction of a belt-driven locomotive assembly line with two Glover locomotives in various stages of completion.
A prestigious Smithsonian Affiliations member, the Southern Museum provides visitors with a unique perspective into the strategic and economic use of railroads during and after the Civil War. The Museum is home to the General locomotive, made famous during the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862, an impressive Civil War collection, and the ‘Merci’ Gratitude Boxcar presented by the people of France to the state of Georgia for providing aid to the war-torn country following World War II.
Kirby Family Farm, the future home of Glover locomotive #10168, was founded by Daryl and Tracy Kirby as a 501cs educational organization and museum whose mission is to educate and assist children, especially at risk, special needs, and foster kids.