Celebrate the 150th birthday of American railroad hero Jonathan Luther “Casey” Jones on March 14 at the Case Jones Home & Railroad Museum in Jackson, Tennssee.  Jones, who lived in Jackson with his wife and three children, was a railroad engineer who became an internationally known icon due to his heroic last ride on April 30, 1900 when he saved all the passengers on his train. Jones slowed the Cannonball Express before colliding into a stalled freight train near Vaughan, Mississippi.

His actions were immortalized in a ballad sung by his friend Wallace Saunders. Today, Casey Jones’ fame is attributed to the traditional song, “The Ballad of Casey Jones,” recorded by Mississippi John Hurt, Pete Seeger, Furry Lewis and Johnny Cash, among others.

Museum admission will be free that day with educational activities, refreshments, door prizes, and a presentation of local, regional and state-wide proclamations in honor of Casey Jones. Entertainment will be provided throughout the day by the Jackson Area Plectral Society, a local old-time music preservation club.

Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum, www.caseyjones.com