Although little is left of the line that once ran from Concord to Lebanon, he can still recall the eight daily passenger cars making stops in Canaan Village, bringing the mail and taking passengers south to Concord and beyond.
“We could go from Boston in the morning and come back in the evening,” Barney, 89, said on Sunday.
He also remembers when the railroad line was ultimately abandoned in the 1990s. Always one to volunteer his time, he quickly became part of a group developing the Northern Rail Trail.
It was then, while digging up old planks and spikes, that he first came across a small patch of land hugging the Indian River. Under his guidance, it would someday become a park. He would devote hours over decades maintaining the space, and on Sunday, the park was named for him.
A group of volunteers, community leaders and family members officially gathered at the end of Depot Street to dedicate the Reginald E. Barney Depot Park. The event — part of Old Home Days — wasn’t just a ceremony, it was also a “thank you” to someone who cares deeply about Canaan.
“Reggie’s been a pillar of the community, so any time you get involved in town activity, you’re likely to come upon Reggie,” said Gary Wood, a member of the Friends of Canaan Village.
Barney helped found the organization and led one its first missions clearing the park, Wood said.
“What I remember clearly were youngsters wanting to go down to the river on days like today to take a dip,” he said. But with tall grass and trash, that could be a daunting task, he added.
So, the group went to work clearing bottles, garbage and brush from the lot.
“It took a long time before you could even push a lawnmower here,” Wood said.
Once their work was complete, Barney, now nearly 90, didn’t leave the park to the elements. He continued mowing it and cleaning up the area every spring.
“We didn’t even know he was doing this for years,” said John Carr, a member of the Friends group. “He never asked and believe me, after the winter, it’s a mess.”
Barney finally relinquished the job of caretaker late into his 80s, and the town began grooming the state-owned land a few years ago. He’s still an avid community member, though.
The list of organizations and charities that Barney volunteers with was too long for most friends and family to list at the dedication. He’s a member of the Lions Club, the Canaan Historical Society and is an active member of the Assembly of God Church.
Barney is also a former Grafton Selectboard member and Canaan Budget Committee member, said Dale Barney, his son.
“He delivers Meals on Wheels to help out the old people,” Dale Barney said, laughing at the notion of his 90-year-old father still seeing others as “old.”
While most people know Reggie Barney for his community work, he was also a dairy farmer for most of his life and a lover of trains.
“He’s been a lifelong rail fan. That’s one of his biggest fortes” sad Dale Barney said. “He gets all the railroad magazines, he knows intricate details of a lot of rail areas.”
That’s partially why the park is so important to his father, Dale Barney said. It’s not just a beautiful place to rest but also a piece of rail history. For years, the park property had a rail Y formation that allowed trains to turn around. The parcel also boasts cement structures that were once part of water towers for the visiting steam engines.
As he looked back at the dedication gathering, Barney was humble about his work.
“I really appreciate you all coming and honoring me like this,” he said. “I don’t feel like I really deserve it.”
And the crowd immediately replied with calls of “yes, you do,” cheers and applause.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.
Canaan resident John Dow congratulated Reggie Barney after a park was named in the latter man’s honor on Sunday. A photo caption in an earlier version of this story gave an incorrect first name for Dow