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The Merci Train (in English)
April 8, 2022 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CDT
Friday, April 8, 2022
2:00pm PST / 3:00pm MST / 4:00pm CST / 5:00pm EST
Alliance Française of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill
In English
On February 3, 1949, over two hundred thousand New Yorkers gathered along Broadway in Manhattan. Three boxcars filled with French goods traveled up the avenue, painted with the insignia of the forty French regions and a tricolor band with the words Train de la Reconnaissance Française (“French Gratitude Train”).
France sent Gratitude Trains to all 49 US states in appreciation for securing the Allied Victory over Nazi Germany and for the liberation of France from occupation. The American nickname for this magnificent gift was the Merci Train.
North Carolina’s Merci Train came to downtown Raleigh on February 8, 1949. It was quite an event. One can visit the NC Merci Train today at the Museum of Transportation in Spencer. The NC Museum of History has hundreds of these French gifts. We will explore the NC Merci Train against the backdrop of French-American friendship.
This event is free and is open to the public. Please click here to register.