Weatherly is mourning one of its most loyal sons, the town's historian and former postmaster, John S. "Jack" Koehler.

But thanks to Jack's own efforts, the town will be able to enjoy his vast collection of photos, news clippings and artifacts for years to come.On Thursday, residents, train buffs and some returning natives came to the Weatherly Museum for its open house. And memories of Jack weren't far from their minds. Koehler passed away Monday at home at the age of 89."We're fortunate that he lived here, and that he loved history," said Hugh Harris, a Weatherly native.Koehler's contributions to the borough would take some time to list - he led local Scout troops, civic committees and dutifully wound the clock atop the former Weatherly High School.For decades, Koehler spent his free time documenting and collecting the history of the town, as well as the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which built locomotives in the borough, and once had lines across the greater Carbon County area.His dedication was so intense that he waited in line to purchase the last ticket when the railroad stopped running through Weatherly.But that is only one piece of his vast collection of LVRR memorabilia. Wooden signs, timetables, even handbooks for railroad employees fill one room of the collection.In another room of the building, Koehler has virtually every Weatherly yearbook of the past 50 years.As old facilities associated with the railroad were demolished, Koehler developed a reputation with railroad workers. In some cases, crews would intentionally destroy signs and other artifacts because of the persistent historian. Koehler's son, John, recalled one time when his dad had him serve as a lookout for railroad police while he picked through old documents at the abandoned Packerton Yards. Excursions to send letters from far-flung post offices - Koehler was also the mailman - also weren't uncommon."We didn't go on vacations like ordinary people did," John Koehler said, explaining there was always some historical connection.Koehler filled his home's den with his artifacts, jam-packing file cabinets. In recent years, his granddaughter, Alicia Quinn, helped him to unearth those treasures, and begin to display them in the former dispatch house of the LVRR - located in the heart of town.Quinn recalled a different side of Koehler, a grandfather who could identify every tree in the forest. He was also a family man. His wife Esther passed away in 2008.Quinn looked back fondly on their work together organizing the museum, but said there's more work to be done. She said that right now, it only has about a third of Koehler's collection."He was an incredible person and it definitely leaves a void," she said. "I'm unsure as to how I'm going to fill it."Mayor Thomas Connors praised the job that Koehler did documenting the town's history, and called him a true gentleman."He just fell in love with the project, and he was up here until the end," Connors said.The museum is open Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Check out Weatherly Area Museum on Facebook for more details.