DOCSLIB.ORG

History of Linden Depot Genealogical Society of Montgomery County Crawfordsville Library – March 13, 2018

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
History of Linden Depot Genealogical Society of Montgomery County Crawfordsville Library – March 13, 2018 History of Linden Depot Genealogical Society of Montgomery County Crawfordsville Library – March 13, 2018 Introduction I realize that I probably do not appear to fit the profile of one who is interested in trains. However, I have always had a love of and a connection to trains. Before she got married, my Grandmother worked as a clerk for the “B&O Railroad” in Baltimore. Later, the train ran behind my Grandparents’ house; when I was a young child, I remember waving to the engineer as the train passed by and he would blow the whistle for me. My grandfather rode that train when he traveled from Baltimore to New York on business, and when I was visiting their house, he would sit on the side of the train where I could see him at the window and he would wave to me as he passed by. Page 1 of 50 I was raised in Ellicott City, Maryland, the site of the oldest surviving train station in the United States and one of the oldest in the world. The town of Ellicott City, which was originally known as Ellicott Mills, is 13 miles west of Baltimore. Ellicott City Station was originally built to serve the horse- drawn “railroad” cars that traveled to and from the Baltimore Harbor. The original wooden rails were eventually replaced with durable iron rails. The station still stands and is now a branch of the B&O Railroad Museum. Page 2 of 50 My name is Elizabeth Carroll Hendrickson; I am a direct descendent of Mary Clare Carroll, the sister of Charles Carroll, Barrister. His home, Mount Clare is named for their grandmother, Mary Clare Dunn Carroll, born in 1727, who is my great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother (that’s 7 greats.) In 1829, the heirs of the Barrister’s estate, donated land from the estate to be used for the “B&O Railroad” right-of-way and for the depot known as Mount Clare Station. Page 3 of 50 The building which was originally the Mount Clare Shops, as well as the Roundhouse added later, now house the “B&O Railroad” Museum, which sits next to the Barrister’s home, Mount Clare, which is also now a museum. The B&O Railroad was the first commercial long-distance railroad track in the United States, and Mount Clare Station was the first passenger station. The already existing Ellicott City Station became the terminus of this first 13-mile long commercial track. Page 4 of 50 I am also related to Charles Carroll of Carrollton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the leader of the Maryland Syndicate which founded the “B&O Railroad”; it was he who laid the “First Stone” or cornerstone on July 4, 1828 for the beginning of the railroad, his last documented public act. The objective of the railroad was to connect Baltimore with the Ohio River and other points west. Initially it was thought that the railroad cars would continue to be pulled by horses. But many people Page 5 of 50 thought horses would not be strong enough to travel such long distances, and no match for the mountainous terrain that would have to be traversed. These same people believed that the answer was to use a new-fangled device called the steam engine, a locomotive engineered by Peter Cooper of New York. By 1830, the “B&O Railroad” iron track had been extended the 13 miles to the west to the village of Ellicott’s Mills. The members of the Maryland Syndicate gathered to see the test run of a diminutive locomotive, appropriately named the “Tom Thumb.” The inventor, Peter Cooper, worked the controls, while the Syndicate members and friends rode along in an open car. It took less than an hour to make the journey to Ellicott’s Mills with a top speed of 18 mph! Page 6 of 50 On the return trip, an impromptu race with a horse-drawn car on the adjacent wooden rail track ensued. While it appeared that the locomotive would surely win, a belt broke on the steam engine, causing it to stop in order to be repaired. So the horse-drawn car won the “Tom Thumb” race, but the steam locomotive had proven its worth. But enough on the Carrolls and the “B&O Railroad.” I have another relative, Calvin Stewart Brice who was one of the founders of the “Nickel Plate Railroad,” and a descendant of the Brice family of Page 7 of 50 Annapolis, Maryland. Calvin Stewart Brice started his work with Railroads as a lawyer for the “Lake Erie and Louisville Railroad,” and eventually became President of the then-known “Lake Erie and Western Railroad.” He became further involved with at least 10 different railroad lines, but his most important achievement was his role in the construction of the Nickel Plate Railroad in 1882, which he sold for great profit to William Henry Vanderbilt. His love of trains continued as he became involved with railroad projects in China at the end of the 19th century. I, too, am a direct descendant of the Brice family of Annapolis, specifically my great-great-great- great-great-great grandfather John Brice I (that’s 6 greats!) who was born in 1704. The Brice name appears in several generations of my family, including as the middle name of my middle son, Stephen Brice Hendrickson. So when my father gave me my first Gilbert HO-scale model steam locomotive at the age of 4, the die was already cast. I dearly loved my first electric train: it smoked, had wonderful articulating action and still runs today. At the age of 9, I alone fully wired and assembled an entire 8 x 10 foot HO train layout with only verbal directions from my father who was confined to bed with a back injury. I have an extensive HO-gauge train collection of my own today. I have been the Vice President of the Linden Depot Museum since August of 2010. But my real topic for this talk is the: History of the Linden Depot and the related History of the Nickel Plate and Monon Railroads Page 8 of 50 Before there were trains, people used animals for transportation, both of themselves, and of the goods that they were sending to market, or receiving from market. The speed on land was determined by how far a horse could travel in a day. Most roads were made of dirt, which became unusable after a heavy rain. There were many tales of horse-drawn wagons which got stuck in the mud. A 100-mile trip was considered a HUGE voyage at this time; so much so, that most people traveled that far only one or two times in their lifetime. This led early settlers to try using boats on the rivers for transportation. While this was at times faster and less complicated than land travel, when rivers froze in the winter months, they became impassible. During periods of drought, there often was not enough water to enable the passing of sizeable boats, and during periods of flooding, the currents became too dangerous. Page 9 of 50 Improvements to water transportation came in the form of creating canals which connected bodies of water together to make longer, more useable routes. It appeared to many that this mode of travel would ultimately be the best way to transport goods and people. But there were other people with other ideas, one of which involved the use of horse drawn cars, with the cars riding on wooden rails. This solved the problem of the fluctuating condition of dirt roads, and seemed a logical way to at least get the goods and people from one town to another, or at least to another transportation source such as a canal. In 1830, New Albany was the largest city in Indiana. Indianapolis was barely a village. Why? Because New Albany was situated on the Ohio River and had a relatively easy way to transfer the goods produced there to lucrative markets in the east. But the people of New Albany had heard of the now famous “Tom Thumb” race and were beginning to show some interest in this newest form of transportation. This early experiment had proved the worth of the steam locomotive, and opened up a whole new world of transportation possibilities. Page 10 of 50 Later that same year, the first American-built locomotive, the “Best Friend of Charleston” was successfully debuted on the “South Carolina Railroad,” adding credence to the viability of steam-powered trains. Two years later, in 1832, and in the wake of these eastern railroad successes, the Indiana legislature chartered 8 possible railroad lines through Indiana; “zero” of these were realized! This was because the Committee on Canals and Internal Improvements recommended that state funds instead be committed to the building of canals. Four years later, in 1836, Governor Noah Noble signed “An Act to Provide for a General System of Internal Improvements” which authorized the borrowing of up to $10.5 million for projects which included not only extending and completing the Wabash and Erie Canal but a new railroad line to run from Madison on the Ohio River to Lafayette on the Wabash River, and going by way of Indianapolis. In 1838, Governor James Wallace along with legislators and other dignitaries rode on an inspection trip of the first leg of this new railroad which started at North Madison, Indiana and went to Graham’s Ford, some 15 miles away. They traveled at the very fast speed of 8 mph on this new railroad that became known as the “Madison, Indianapolis and Lafayette Railroad.” Page 11 of 50 The first steam locomotive intended to be used for this new railroad was lost at sea on its way to New Orleans.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ANTHRACITE Downloaded from COAL CANALS and the ROOTS of AMERICAN FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE, 1820–1860 Envhis.Oxfordjournals.Org
    CHRISTOPHER F. JONES a landscape of energy abundance: ANTHRACITE Downloaded from COAL CANALS AND THE ROOTS OF AMERICAN FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE, 1820–1860 envhis.oxfordjournals.org ABSTRACT Between 1820 and 1860, the construction of a network of coal-carrying canals transformed the society, economy, and environment of the eastern mid- Atlantic. Artificial waterways created a new built environment for the region, an energy landscape in which anthracite coal could be transported cheaply, reliably, at Harvard University Library on October 26, 2010 and in ever-increasing quantities. Flush with fossil fuel energy for the first time, mid-Atlantic residents experimented with new uses of coal in homes, iron forges, steam engines, and factories. Their efforts exceeded practically all expec- tations. Over the course of four decades, shipments of anthracite coal increased exponentially, helping turn a rural and commercial economy into an urban and industrial one. This article examines the development of coal canals in the ante- bellum period to provide new insights into how and why Americans came to adopt fossil fuels, when and where this happened, and the social consequences of these developments. IN THE FIRST DECADES of the nineteenth century, Philadelphians had little use for anthracite coal.1 It was expensive, difficult to light, and considered more trouble than it was worth. When William Turnbull sold a few tons of anthracite to the city’s waterworks in 1806, the coal was tossed into the streets to be used as gravel because it would not ignite.2 In 1820, the delivery © 2010 The Author. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Environmental History and the Forest History Society.
    [Show full text]
  • Railroads in Muncie, Indiana Author Michael L. Johnston May 1, 2009
    Railroads in Muncie 1 Running Head: RAILROADS IN MUNCIE Railroads in Muncie, Indiana Author Michael L. Johnston May 1, 2009 Copyright 2009. M. L. Johnston. All rights reserved. Railroads in Muncie 2 Running Head: Railroads in Muncie Abstract Railroads in Muncie, Indiana explains the evolution of railroads in Muncie, and Delaware County, Indiana. Throughout the history of the United States, the railroad industry has been a prominent contributor to the development and growth of states and communities. Communities that did not have railroads did not develop as competitively until improvements in roads and highways gave them access to an alternative form of transportation. This manuscript provides a brief overview of the history and location of the railroads in Muncie and their importance to the growth of the community. Copyright 2009. M. L. Johnston. All rights reserved. Railroads in Muncie 3 Running Head: Railroads in Muncie Railroads in Muncie, Indiana Evolution of the U.S. Railroad Industry The U.S. railroad industry started around 1810 in the East. After the Civil War, railroad construction was rampant and often unscrupulous. Too many railroad lines were built that were under-capitalized, poorly constructed, and did not have enough current business to survive. Monopolistic and financial abuses, greed and political corruption forced government regulations on the railroads. From 1887 until 1980 the federal Interstate Commerce Commission strictly regulated economics and safety of all railroads operating in the U.S. Until 1980 the various states, also, regulated economics and safety of railroad companies within their individual state boundaries. Railroads are privately owned and the federal government considers them to be common carriers for the benefit of the public.
    [Show full text]
  • The Wabash—The Gould Downfall
    THE WABASH—THE GOULD DOWNFALL THOMAS C. CAMPBELL, JR.1 Wabash- Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, known to THEmany people of Western Pennsylvania as the old Wabash Railroad, was constructed in the period from 1901 to 1904 by George Gould, the son of Jay Gould. This was not the first of the Gould railway ventures, nor the greatest finan- cially, but none of the others received more publicity. In1867, Jay Gould along with "Jim" Fisk and Daniel Drew decided to obtain control of the Erie Railroad through pur- chasing a majority of the outstanding stock. Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt of the New York Central was at that same time planning to control the Erie as it was one of the New York Central's greatest competitors. Gould, Fisk, and Drew were directors of the Erie, and the Commodore de- sired to relieve them of their duties after purchasing a ma- jority of the Erie stock. He ordered his brokers to: "Buy the Erie. Buy it at the lowest figure you can, but buy it." The brokers in carrying out the orders discovered that they had bought more Erie stock than was legally in existence. After carefully examining the newly purchased stock, some of it appeared to have been printed on new paper with the ink hardly dry. The three Erie directors had been printing illegal issues of stock to sell to the brokers. Fisk's response was : "Give us enough rag paper, and we'll hammer the ever- lasting tar out of the mariner from Staten Island." Drew, in speaking of the incident, said: "It was goodnight for the Commodore, because there is no limit to blank shares a print- ing press can turn out.
    [Show full text]
  • Railroad Company Waybills Collection, 1896-1904
    Collection # OM 0432 RAILROAD COMPANY WAYBILLS COLLECTION, 1896–1904 Collection Information Historical Sketch Scope and Content Note Contents Cataloging Information Processed by Emily Castle April 2006 Manuscript and Visual Collections Department William Henry Smith Memorial Library Indiana Historical Society 450 West Ohio Street Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269 www.indianahistory.org COLLECTION INFORMATION VOLUME OF 1 oversize folder COLLECTION: COLLECTION 1896–1904 DATES: PROVENANCE: Phil Birk, Middle Amana, IA, October 2001 RESTRICTIONS: None COPYRIGHT: REPRODUCTION Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection RIGHTS: must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. ALTERNATE FORMATS: RELATED SC 2734 HOLDINGS: ACCESSION 2002.0022 NUMBER: NOTES: HISTORICAL SKETCH The Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad Company was originally chartered the Terre Haute & Richmond Railroad Company in 1847. By the end of the Civil War the TH&R found itself part of an increasingly important east-west trunk line and in March 1865, to better reflect reality, the Indiana legislature changed the name of the TH&R to the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad. The TH&I represented an important asset by connecting Terre Haute to Indianapolis and eastern markets. In June 1887, the TH&I was sold to Henry Ives & Company, who also owned the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton. After a string of bad years the TH&I stockholder’s voted to consolidate the company into an all new Vandalia Railroad Company. The vote passed and at midnight on 31 December 1904 the 58-year history of the railroad came to a quiet end, and the next day the new Vandalia Railroad took its place. The Toledo-East St.
    [Show full text]
  • Wirral Steam
    Wirral Steam Journal of the Wirral Model Engineering Society November 2010 Issue 49 Registered Office: The Sidings, Royden Park, Frankby, Wirral, CH48 1NP Track: ROYDEN PARK http://www.wirralmodelengineeringsociety.co.uk/ In this Issue • The Electric Trolleybus • Committee Minutes • Tom Thumb • Adhesion • Turbinia • News & Letters • Programme Chairman’s Round A full and busy summer is now behind us and the Santa’s beckon. It has been a very good year with a successful Open Weekend and a superb effort by all those involved in raising over £1000 in aid of cancer charities. If you haven’t already seen them, there are lots of pictures on the website. At present I’m keeping the pictures fairly small so they are easier to view as an album on screen. If anyone would like a higher resolution picture, I can put them in contact with the photographer. I tend to remove original pictures from my PC as they take up so much disc space. I have also posted a couple of videos on the website. These were taken by my son on his recent visit to the UK. They were taken by either an iPhone or digital still camera. The quality of these videos is better than my not very old dedicated video camera. It would appear to be very easy to take high quality video these days, I can edit them and even better YouTube will now post HD movies. I would love to get more videos on the website of up to about 2 or 3 minutes – so get recording and let me have the results.
    [Show full text]
  • Much Has Been Written Recently About the Necessity to Rethink Some of The
    Rescaling Global Governance in the Midst of the Premature Demise of the Nation-State? Draft: Published 2012, Globalizations 9; 241-256 Kevin Archer University of South Florida Much has been written about the necessity to rethink some of the basic concepts of international relations theory to take better account of changes in government and governance in a rapidly globalizing world (Paul, 2005a, 2000b; Barnett and Sikkink, 2008). The usual focus on the sovereign nation-state as the primary actor on the international scene is giving way to the growing realization that nation-states are losing much of their sovereign decision-making powers to other levels of government, both upwards toward supranational governing institutions like the European Union, NAFTA, and the WTO and downwards to subnational state institutions at the regional or metropolitan territorial levels (Agnew, 2009). At least this is an increasingly popular argument on the part of those who believe that the contemporary process of globalization is wreaking substantive change in international political, as well as economic and cultural relations. If such a restructuring were happening, of course, it would necessitate a serious reconsideration of some of the fundamental assumptions of still dominant theories in international relations and political geography. Yet, much like the very notion of “globalization” as somehow different from previous periods of Western imperialism, such a view of contemporary geopolitics has met with no little resistance ( Lovering, 2001, 1999; Cox 2009, 2001). On this contrary view, the power of the nation-state has not dwindled in the face of the supposed growth of supra- and sub-national power but rather has actually facilitated these latter 1 emergences.
    [Show full text]
  • In 1986, Chicago, and Urban America Generally, Was in Flux
    Critique: A worldwide journal of politics Public Rhetoric, Private Development, And Urban Government In The Postindustrial City: The Case Of Chicago’s Navy Pier James M. Smith University of Illinois at Chicago As revenue-deprived cities in the United States depend more on developments aimed at attracting visitors, the governing bodies controlling this infrastructure play a larger role in urban government. This paper explores the case of one such development, Chicago’s Navy Pier. The author argues that the Pier’s redevelopment as a festival marketplace, which was based on public rhetoric and space, necessitated the creation of a public authority that compromised this vision. The paper begins with a description of the postindustrial city, then outlines the history of Navy Pier and its redevelopment, and closes with a discussion of the role of public authorities in the contemporary city. In 1986, Chicago and urban America generally, were in decline. The bedrock of federal urban funding had disappeared, middle class residents continued to flee the city for suburban enclaves, and manufacturing jobs that had once employed large portions of city dwellers were suddenly much scarcer. While cities searched for strategies to reverse these trends, most found great trouble in doing so. An urban regeneration seemed unlikely at the time, but cities would soon find ways to attract dollars, residents, and visitors back within their limits. Seventy years earlier, Municipal Pier, a mixed-use development for shipping and entertainment, was constructed near the mouth of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. The initial uses of the structure known today as Navy Pier symbolize the industrial and leisure activities taking place in a rapidly growing, and at times, carefree urban setting.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021-2023 National Folk Festival Applications Now Being Accepted
    THE NATIONAL 2021 - FOLK 2023 FESTIVAL A large-scale outdoor event presented free to the public, the National Folk Festival celebrates the richness and variety of American culture. It features a broad array of music and dance performances, workshops, storytelling, parades, dances, craft exhibitions and foodways. TH ENATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL First presented in 1934, the National Folk Festival is the oldest multicultural traditional arts celebra - tion in the nation. Now entering its 79th year, this traveling festival has been held in 28 communities around the country. Musicians and craftspeople from every state in the Union and most U.S. territories have partici - pated in this “moveable feast of deeply traditional folk arts,” which is now attracting the largest audiences in its history. The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), the nation's premier folk and traditional arts presenting organization, is accepting applica - Aunt Samantha Bumgarner of Buncomb tions from cities and community partners to County, North Carolina, sang, fiddled and played her banjo at the second National in Chattanooga. Aunt Samantha was one of co-sponsor the National Folk Festival for the the first Appalachian women to record commercially, making her first 78-rpm discs three-year period 2021-2023. in 1924. The National Folk Festival, first held in St. Louis when I got home. I told my grandmother and in 1934, is the longest-running, most diverse she said, ‘Heaven will be like that.’” festival of traditional arts in the country and the event that defined this form of presentation. Its Creating new festivals most radical and enduring innovation was that Showcasing the nation’s finest traditional of putting the arts of many nations, races and musicians, dancers and craftspeople, the languages into the same event on equal footing.
    [Show full text]
  • Train Station Models Building Guide 2018
    Building Guide for Season’s Greenings: All Aboard! 1 Index of buildings and dioramas Biltmore Depot North Carolina Page 3 Metro-North Cannondale Station Connecticut Page 4 Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal New Jersey Page 5 Chattanooga Train Shed Tennessee Page 6 Cincinnati Union Terminal Ohio Page 7 Citrus Groves Florida Page 8 Dino Depot -- Page 9 East Glacier Park Station Montana Page 10 Ellicott City Station Maryland Page 11 Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station Pennsylvania Page 12 Grain Elevator Minnesota Page 13 Grain Fields Kansas Page 14 Grand Canyon Depot Arizona Page 15 Grand Central Terminal New York Page 16 Kirkwood Missouri Pacific Depot Missouri Page 17 Lahaina Station Hawaii Page 18 Los Angeles Union Station California Page 19 Michigan Central Station Michigan Page 20 North Bennington Depot Vermont Page 21 North Pole Village -- Page 22 Peanut Farms Alabama Page 23 Pennsylvania Station (interior) New York Page 24 Pikes Peak Cog Railway Colorado Page 25 Point of Rocks Station Maryland Page 26 Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot Utah Page 27 Santa Fe Depot California Page 28 Santa Fe Depot Oklahoma Page 29 Union Station Washington Page 30 Union Station D.C. Page 31 Viaduct Hotel Maryland Page 32 Vicksburg Railroad Barge Mississippi Page 33 2 Biltmore Depot Asheville, North Carolina built 1896 Building Materials Roof: pine bark Facade: bark Door: birch bark, willow, saltcedar Windows: willow, saltcedar Corbels: hollowed log Porch tread: cedar Trim: ash bark, willow, eucalyptus, woody pear fruit, bamboo, reed, hickory nut Lettering: grapevine Chimneys: jequitiba fruit, Kielmeyera fruit, Schima fruit, acorn cap credit: Village Wayside Bar & Grille Wayside Village credit: Designed by Richard Morris Hunt, one of the premier architects in American history, the Biltmore Depot was commissioned by George Washington Vanderbilt III.
    [Show full text]
  • Phase II and Phase III Archeological Database and Inventory Site Number: 18HO35 Site Name: B&O Round Table at Ellicott C
    Phase II and Phase III Archeological Database and Inventory Site Number: 18HO35 Site Name: B&O Round Table at Ellicott C. Prehistoric Other name(s) Historic Brief 19th century railroad station roundtable Unknown Description: Site Location and Environmental Data: Maryland Archeological Research Unit No. 14 SCS soil & sediment code Mo Latitude 39.2743 Longitude -76.7891 Physiographic province Eastern Piedmont Terrestrial site Underwater site Elevation 48 m Site slope 0% Ethnobotany profile available Maritime site Nearest Surface Water Site setting Topography Ownership Name (if any) Patapsco River -Site Setting restricted Floodplain High terrace Private Saltwater Freshwater -Lat/Long accurate to within 1 sq. mile, user may Hilltop/bluff Rockshelter/ Federal Ocean Stream/river need to make slight adjustments in mapping to cave Interior flat State of MD account for sites near state/county lines or streams Estuary/tidal river Swamp Hillslope Upland flat Regional/ Unknown county/city Tidewater/marsh Lake or pond Ridgetop Other Unknown Spring Terrace Low terrace Minimum distance to water is 16 m Temporal & Ethnic Contextual Data: Contact period site ca. 1820 - 1860 P Ethnic Associations (historic only) Paleoindian site Woodland site ca. 1630 - 1675 ca. 1860 - 1900 P Native American Asian American Archaic site MD Adena ca. 1675 - 1720 ca. 1900 - 1930 African American Unknown Early archaic Early woodland ca. 1720 - 1780 Post 1930 Anglo-American Y Other MIddle archaic Mid. woodland ca. 1780 - 1820 Hispanic Late archaic Late woodland Unknown historic context Unknown prehistoric context Unknown context Y=Confirmed, P=Possible Site Function Contextual Data: Historic Furnace/forge Military Post-in-ground Urban/Rural? Urban Other Battlefield Frame-built Domestic Prehistoric Transportation Fortification Masonry Homestead Multi-component Misc.
    [Show full text]
  • Wabash Railroad
    HISTORY OF THE WABASH RAILROAD Local History at the St. Thomas Public Library 8 November 1838: The first railroad locomotive of the future Wabash Railroad is placed on track at Meredosia, Illinois. The railroad is called the Northern Cross and is operated for nearly 10 years by the state of Illinois. An early Northern Cross (later Wabash) locomotive. 1847: The original railroad is bought by Nicholas H. Ridgely for $21,000.00. The locomotives of the newly-named Sangamon & Morgan Railroad have fallen into disrepair and are replaced by oxen and horse-power for almost a year before new locomotives are purchased. 1853: The Lake Erie, Wabash, & St. Louis Railroad Company is formed to help connect Toledo, Ohio with the state of Illinois. This is the first use of the name Wabash, which is taken from the Wabash River flowing through Illinois and Indiana. 1865: A new corporation is formed under the name Toledo, Wabash & Western Railway Company. It operates a direct, through line of railway starting at Toledo, Ohio, and terminating at Quincy, Illinois, and Keokuk, Iowa, a total of about 520 miles. The company thrives and expands to 678 miles of operating track. It is known as the “Wabash System.” 10 November 1879: Jay Gould, American railroad developer and speculator, attempts to use the Wabash roads to help create a transcontinental railroad. The Wabash Railway, the St. Louis, Kansas City, and Northern are merged into one continuous line linking Toledo with Kansas City. The Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific Railroad Co. is incorporated and forms a central link in the Gould System.
    [Show full text]
  • Union Station Indianapolis, Indiana Collection, 1882-1996
    Collection # M 0876 OMB 0143 UNION STATION INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA COLLECTION, 1882–1996 Collection Information Historical Sketch Scope and Content Note Contents Cataloging Information Processed by Emily Castle June 2006 Manuscript and Visual Collections Department William Henry Smith Memorial Library Indiana Historical Society 450 West Ohio Street Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269 www.indianahistory.org COLLECTION INFORMATION VOLUME OF Manuscript Materials: 6 manuscript boxes, 2 OMB boxes COLLECTION: Visual Materials: 2 photograph folders, 2 color photograph folders, 1 OVA color photograph folder COLLECTION 1882–1996 DATES: PROVENANCE: Woollen, Molzan & Partners, Inc., Indianapolis, IN, March 2002; City of Indianapolis, IN, August 2002 RESTRICTIONS: None COPYRIGHT: REPRODUCTION Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection RIGHTS: must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. ALTERNATE FORMATS: RELATED M0780, OMB 0090 (Indianapolis Union railway company HOLDINGS: Maintenance of Way Department Records); SC 2130 (Union Station Records); P0157 Union Station Visual Collection ACCESSION 2002.0415; 2002.0692 NUMBER: NOTES: HISTORICAL SKETCH Originally built in 1853, Union Station had a dramatic effect on the growth and development of Indianapolis. The station prospered for decades serving up to 200 trains and thousands of people per day, including such notables as Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman. To accommodate the increasing number of travelers, Union Station’s original depot was replaced in 1888 by a three- story Romanesque-Revival style structure known today as the Grand Hall. Union Station was one of the earliest attempts by a major American city to unite the passenger and express freight services of several competing railroad companies in a single convenient downtown terminal.
    [Show full text]