From staff reports
Mayor Tim Kyle announced Thursday he will ask the Board of Aldermen to rescind or postpone a bid notice for the sale of the historic Red Caboose railcar located behind the Strand Theater, citing a renewed wave of public interest and efforts to keep the caboose within the community.
The wooden cupola-style caboose, built in 1894 and brought to Mississippi in 1915, has stood on a timber trestle at 202 W. Washington St. for 47 years. It originally served as Southern Railway car SOU X1323 before becoming caboose #506 on the Columbus and Greenville Railway. The car is one of several historic cabooses once active across Mississippi, with similar models still visible in cities like Columbus, Greenwood, Louisville and Winona.
The city had explored selling the caboose after months of unsuccessful attempts to find a suitable location to move it. Mayor Kyle said the decision to seek a sale was driven by concerns over its deteriorating condition, mounting refurbishment costs, and safety risks posed to nearby structures, particularly as renovations are underway on the adjacent Strand Theater.
"It's been sitting on them timbers now for 47 years," Kyle said. "We were redoing the Strand, and if the thing were to fall, it would totally collapse that building.”
Following the public notice of the proposed sale, however, Kyle said community response was swift and passionate, with several offers of assistance to relocate and preserve the car. The mayor emphasized that the car’s current location is not well-trafficked and does little to highlight its historic value.
“It needs to be somewhere where more people coming through our town can see it,” Kyle said. “We have several options now that we are working on to keep it in the community.”
The city still faces the challenge of covering the costs associated with relocating and possibly restoring the caboose. While no decisions have been finalized, Kyle stressed the importance of finding a permanent home where the railcar can serve as a visible tribute to railway heritage across the state.
“We need to find a place where it's an advertisement for our community, not just hidden away behind a building,” he said.
The caboose’s legacy in Kosciusko began in 1978, when local businessman William “Bill” Stewart discovered it abandoned near Oxford and purchased it for $2,000. Stewart, alongside his brother Dean and Dr. Paul Mink, transported it to Kosciusko on a lowboy trailer and built the trestle that still supports it today. Over the years, the caboose was restored, wired for electricity, and even used as office space.
The City of Kosciusko officially acquired the car in 2015, completing repairs to address structural concerns. Though it now sits quietly behind the Kosciusko Police Department, it remains a beloved piece of the past—one that may soon find new life in a more prominent place.
