The Danville, IA community and the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities have combined their efforts to secure a World War II-era rail car from Germany, which Danville Station plans to include in its Holocaust exhibit. The collection aims to educate visitors about this devastating period in history and pay tribute to Holocaust victims.
The rail car arrived in Iowa this week at the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities and will be delivered to its final destination in Danville today about noon. The idea for the Holocaust exhibit in Danville stems from a 1940 pen pal exchange between Anne Frank and her sister Margot in Amsterdam and Juanita and Betty Wagner, who lived on a Southeast Iowa farm. Digital images of the letters are on display at Danville Station, along with a replica of the Amsterdam hideaway attic in which the Frank family lived before their 1944 arrest and transport to concentration camps. The Danville community is still working toward their goal of collecting 1.5 million postcards to honor the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust.
If you would like to witness the arrival of the rail car, it is set to arrive at the Danville Station, 102 N. Main St Danville, IA at about noon today.