A persistent Thornbury neighbor saw the fruits of her 10-year effort when she stood on the wooden porch of the restored, 130-year-old Glen Mills train station, writes Marie McCullough in an archival article that first appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer July 10, 1992.

SEPTA hopes it will inspire other communities to do the same to their station.

“The commitment and dedication down here is wonderful. It’s the kind of thing we’re trying to promote,” John Davis, SEPTA’s superintendent of stations, said before presenting a commemorative plaque to the Thornbury Historical Society.

SEPTA has 200 train stations, 35 that are defunct.

The Glen Mills station was shut down in 1986 because of a lack of funds for bridge repairs.

The station has a new life as a meeting hall and informal museum for 305-year-old Thornbury Township.

The station features Victorian peaked windows and ornate brickwork, a likely protégé of Philadelphia architect Frank Furness.

It was suffering from falling plaster, a sagging roof and decaying porch. Kaat joined with historic preservationist Richard B. Luchenbach to convince the Thornbury Historical Society to take on the task of renovating the station.

Read more about revitalizing SEPTA’s train stations in the early 1990s here.

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