The Kennesaw Museum Foundation on Saturday honored longtime conservator and board member Richard “Dick” Hillman during its annual Heroes and Legends Gala.
Born in upstate New York, Hillman is one of the Southern Museum’s foremost railroad experts, especially about the Glover Machine Works. The locomotive factory, formerly located in nearby Marietta, helped rebuild the South after the Civil War.
Hillman discovered Glover while taking pictures of the Marietta facility shortly before it closed. Recognizing the company was home to a one-of-a-kind collection, Hillman led the charge to save the company’s records, tools, remaining locomotives and rare molds used in building the locomotives.
“I am humbled to receive this award,” Hillman said. “I couldn’t have done it alone, and I appreciate the help and support of everyone at the Southern Museum and the Kennesaw Museum Foundation. I am glad we were able to preserve the legacy of Glover Machine Works for generations to come.”
In 1996, Hillman published Glover Steam Locomotives, the South’s Last Steam Builder, a book detailing Glover’s history and the 200 unique industrial locomotives the company manufactured. Soon afterward, he began his newest career, this time as associate conservator at the Southern Museum.
Hillman authored two additional books: The Southern Railway and The Southern Railway: Further Recollections.
“We could think of no one more deserving of this honor than Dick,” said Dr. Richard Banz, executive director of the Southern Museum and head of theKennesaw Museum Foundation. “His work ensures future generations will understand the importance railroads played in the region and how they helped transform the South following the Civil War.”