Frank Franek keeps railroad boarding house open for 57 years
The 85 year old Franek runs Franek's railroad boarding house on Washington Street where nine Illinois Central Gulf men from Freeport stay nightly. He remodeled the home and converted the attic to dormitory space, charging $5.25 a night after decades of $2.50 to $5. The boarders, many with Franek for 15 years or more, say they will stay and run the place themselves, even as rail crews shift to motels.