MELDRIM — Meldrim Memorial Park has become a monument to vandalism and neglect instead of the people it was intended to honor.

A plaque that bears the names of 23 victims of a fiery 1959 train derailment is one of the few items in the park that hasn’t been marred by graffiti. The concessions area and restrooms are covered with it.

“It’s getting worse,” said Cheyanne Marshall, a young mother and member of the Meldrim Civic Club, which is responsible for the park’s upkeep. “I don’t understand why anyone would want to tear up one of the few things to do in Meldrim.”

Marshall said the park is not an acceptable tribute to those who died June 28, 1959, while enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon. The victims were swimming and/or picnicking in a popular Ogeechee River spot when tank cars loaded with liquefied petroleum gas plunged off a trestle and burst into flames when they hit the ground.

Graffiti isn’t the park’s only problem. Some of its playground equipment has fallen into a state of disrepair, making it unsafe.

“We don’t have enough donations to fix this stuff,” Marshall said. “Volunteers fix it.”

A volunteer recently repaired some broken picnic tables. The Effingham County Board of Commissioners provided additional aid by hauling an environmental hazard — a few utility poles with a transformer attached.

The Effingham County Board of Commissioners leases the park property to the club for a nominal fee.

Marshall and her fellow club members hope a series of fundraisers will help restore the park to the luster it had when it opened in 1961. A community-wide swap meet with vendors is set at the park Feb. 19-20 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Interested vendors should contact Lori McClellan by text at 912-656-6381 or visit the Meldrim Memorial Park Facebook page. They will be allowed to set up their wares at 8 a.m.

“Hopefully, this will be a start to kind of get everything going to get stuff done,” Marshall said. “There will be a good bit of vendors. I just don’t have the exact amoount yet.”