Mr. John C. Howard, retired Norfolk Southern Railroad Agent, spoke to the Saluda County Historical Society on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 7:30 pm at the Historical Society’s Museum, 105 Law Range Street, Saluda, SC, on the Court House Square.

Mr. John C. Howard is an interesting speaker and a “character” around Monetta. He will bring railroad memorabilia such as his original Morse code machine to tell us about the good old times, when the railroad freight station was the hub of a small town’s commerce.

Mr. Howard began his Railroad career in 1945. He was required to learn Morse code, which he accomplished and began earning $ 0. 46 per hour. Less than a week into his new job, he and family members were struck by a train which resulted in John C. being confined to the hospital for quite a while.

Mr. Howard tells of the huge quantities of asparagus and cotton which were loaded into cars in Monetta. He worked in Perry, Lexington, Ridge Spring and Johnston, also working with passenger trains such as the one which brought President Dwight Eisenhower to Augusta to play golf. He and his wife, Gertrude, a retired banker, have been married over 60 years. They are members of Bethel Baptist Church in Monetta.

Mr. Howard shared stories and anecdotes of his time as a railroad agent. Refreshments were served.