Railroads have shaped American history in many ways, from the swift westward expansion of the United States to the cascading impact on the formation of small towns and massive cities along railways. Although the 21st century boasts advanced technology once thought the realm of science fiction, the locomotive is anything but an antique, and it continues to play a vital role in the world of transportation. Railroads' impact on the world as we know it may be observed in nearly every town, affecting qualities of modern life as minute as the vegetables we eat.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 Gap Road, Strasburg, recently completed a project to install a garden of heirloom vegetables in its front lawn. At first glance, the garden plot has no obvious connection to the colossal train cars that litter the museum's property, but museum educators Juliette O'Connor and Jesse Shetrom said plants and trains are intertwined in unique ways. Prior to the implementation of railroads as the primary method of transporting perishable goods, many regions grew produce that was unique to the area. After refrigerated train cars made it possible to export food to other states without it spoiling, many vegetables became standardized, which allows someone in Arkansas to enjoy the same produce as someone in Pennsylvania. One of O'Connor and Shetrom's goals was to highlight local heirloom vegetables that fell out of favor, and the garden contains regional varieties such as blue pod peas, scarlet runner beans, black Brandywine tomatoes, Weaver's stuffing peppers and patty pan squash. The two educators acquired heirloom seeds from the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum to plant in the garden.

In addition to highlighting heirloom vegetables, the Railroad Museum plans to use the new garden as a tool to continuously expand its educational programs in the future. As the museum approaches its 50th anniversary in 2025, O'Connor and Shetrom are using the garden as a central piece in several new programs that will offer new perspectives on the history of railroads and interactive environmental education to visitors and local school districts. The garden will be dedicated on Earth Day next April to launch the museum's event schedule for its 50th anniversary.

"The garden is an opportunity to revamp the museum's outside space," Shetrom said. "(O'Connor and I) are avid gardeners at home, and we were looking forward to doing something a bit different." Shetrom added that he and O'Connor hope to expand the garden to more areas of the property, which will include native plants and flowers to attract pollinators.

The implementation of the garden aligns with the restructuring of Pennsylvania's new educational standards to place a focus on environmental literacy. The garden will allow the Railroad Museum to maximize its vacant outdoor plots by making the property more sustainable, and it plans to expand its partnerships to conservation groups, gardeners and state agencies in addition to local schools.

For more information, visit http://www.rrmuseumpa.org.