Today, part two of covering the automobile industry in Indiana.

Haynes Automobile Company – Kokomo [1895 – 1925]: Elwood Haynes was a Hoosier automobile pioneer. He started working on ideas for an automobile in 1891. By 1894, Haynes, with Elmer and Edgar Apperson, formed the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company, and released his first car, called the Pioneer. The number of innovations that Elwood Haynes left on the car industry are too numerous to post here, and will require his own entry. In 1905, after the Appersons left to create their car company, Haynes dropped the word Apperson from his company’s name. Haynes continued working on making cars better, more powerful and lighter for the years his company was in existence. 1914 saw the introduction of a car called a Light Six, which claimed to get 22 to 25 miles per gallon of gasoline. In 1923, Haynes offered a new car called the 57 in three different varieties. The company went into receivership in 1924, with the final cars assembled in early 1925. Later that year, the company would be liquidated and Elwood Haynes would pass away.

Auburn Automobile – Auburn [1900 – 1937]: The company that would become Auburn grew out of a carriage company that was founded in 1874 in Auburn. Experimental cars were made at the turn of the 20th Century. Frank and Morris Eckhart, sons of the founder of the predecessor company (Eckhart Carriage Company) entered making cars full time before acquiring two other car makers and moving into larger factory facilities in 1909. World War I materials shortages caused the factory to close for the duration. The Eckhart brothers sold the company in 1919, but the company would remain unprofitable. The new owners approached Errett Lobban Cord in 1924 about running the company. Instead, Cord offered to buy the company, which the owners accepted. The company found itself on rocky ground with the Great Depression. Auburn made upscale cars, which sold extremely poorly at a time when money was scarse. Cord was later forced to give up his automobile companies, which included Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg due to stock manipulation. In 1937, the companies stopped all production.

Overland Automobile Company – Terre Haute (1903 – 1905), Indianapolis (1905 – 1912): Although the Overland company name has been gone for almost a century, the company, or at least its successors, still live today and the name is still used by that company. In 1903, Rose Polytechnic Institute graduate Claude Cox created the Overland while working for Standard Wheel Company in Terre Haute. Two years later, Standard Wheel allowed Cox to move the company to Indianapolis. In 1908, the company was purchased by John North Willys. The company would be renamed to Willys-Overland in 1912. The Overland marquee continued to be used on cars until 1926, when the name was dropped in favor of the Willys Whippet. The Overland name made a comeback when the successor company, Jeep, started using the name for a trim package on the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

DeWitt Motor Company – North Manchester (1907 – 1910): A short lived company, started by Swedish immigrant Virgil DeWitt, basically made motorized carriages. The company was created in August 1907. It was incorporated in October 1908. There were two models of DeWitt cars – both having two seats and air cooled two cylinder engines. By April 1910, production had slowed down to one vehicle a day. On 29 April 1910, a fire that started in the paint shop spread to the entire factory, burning the whole building to the ground. The plant, it was reported, cost $22,000. Insurance on the factory was reported to be $13,000. The company never reopened.

George W. Davis Motor Car Company – Richmond (1909 – 1929): In 1909, George W. Davis started making motorized buggies in Richmond, as most cars were at that time. The original factory for the Davis company was located just east of the Pennsylvania Railroad depot in Richmond. In 1911, cars more in the modern sense were designed and built by the company. In 1920, the company purchased a plant that they had been leasing for several years. That plant had been leased by a former Richmond automobile company that moved to Springfield, Ohio – Westcott Motor Company. This kept the Davis company in Richmond, as they were planning to move to another location. Toward the end of the 1920’s, Davis cars were becoming outdated, and the company started on a downhill financial state. February 1928 saw the company purchased by Automotive Corporation of America, based in Baltimore, Maryland. The company built the last of its cars, 1929 models, using leftover parts from the 1928 models. Legal battles started between the reorganized company, G. W. Davis Corporation and the original company, George W. Davis Motor Car Company, in late 1929.

Huffman Brothers Motor Company – Elkhart (1918 – 1924): This short lived company was created in 1918, but their first cars were released in 1920. By May 1921, the company was in financial trouble, with creditors (including the Goshen Buggy Top Company and the Ligonier Auto Body Company) requesting that a receiver be named for the company. This was after the Goshen company filed a suit against the Huffman Brothers Company in October 1920 for non-payment. A receiver was named in October 1921 for the “involuntary bankruptcy” of the company. The Huffman factory, in 1924, as well as that of the Crow-Elkhart Motor Company, had been sitting idle for several months due to financial difficulties…with both plants being used at that time for storage for Studebaker automobiles. Even though the factory had been idle as of March 1924, the company was buying ads in the South Bend Tribune looking for a sales person to sell their trucks in April 1924.

Today (10 February 2020) marks the first anniversary of Indiana Transportation History in blog form. The first post went up one year ago at 0446, which is three hours and 46 minutes from when this post goes live. The six days a week started a year from tomorrow (11 February 2019). Thank you for sharing the past year with me.

Today, I want to focus on the interstate system in Indiana. There were several ways I was going to do this…and finally decided that I would just do a chronological list of how the system was created in Indiana. The information contained in this post comes from the Indiana State Highway Official Maps as released by the State Highway Department (1960) and the Indiana State Highway Commission (1961-1977). Keep in mind that the information was passed along through the official maps was usually the year after the actual completion. For example, the “innerloop” of I-65/70 in downtown Indianapolis was opened in late 1976. It appeared on official maps in 1977, although the map itself was actually printed in 1976.

The first interstate in Indiana really is a matter of discussion. The Indiana Toll Road, which would become (according to the map of 1960) I-80/90/94 was built in the mid-1950’s. It was actually completed from state line to state line before the Interstate system came into being. Another contender would be I-65 at Lebanon. Construction on I-74 east of Indianapolis was started in 1959, with the road opening in October 1960 from southeastern Marion County to SR 9 north of Shelbyville. Construction on I – 74 from the Illinois-Indiana state line east to between Covington and Veedersburg was also listed as under construction in 1959, completed in 1960. After I – 90, which would be the route of the Indiana Toll Road across Indiana, I – 74 was the first that was completed. Technically, I – 90 wasn’t completed across the state until 1965, since before that, what is now the Tri-State (I-80/I-94) was actually part of I-90, and what is now I-90 west of Portage was I-94. The following year (1966), I-74 was completed across Indiana.

1959

I – 65: Under construction: Jeffersonville to Clark-Scott County line near Underwood.
I – 74: Under construction, Illinois-Indiana State Line to between Covington and Veedersburg.
I – 74: Under construction, near SR 100, Marion County, to SR 9, Shelby County.

1960

I – 65: Completed from Jeffersonville at SR 3/62 to Underwood (Clark-Scott County line).
I – 65: Under construction from Underwood to SR 256.
I – 65: Completed from SR 256 to US 50 east of Seymour.
I – 65: Under construction from ramps from I-465 to Hendricks-Marion County Line.
I – 65: Completed from Hendricks-Marion County Line to end of US 52 Lebanon Bypass.
I – 70: Under construction, Centerville Road east to US 40 east of Richmond.
I – 74: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to between Covington and Veedersburg.
I – 74: Completed from near SR 100, Marion County, to SR 9, Shelby County.
I – 74: Under construction from SR 9 to SR 244.
I – 80: Under construction from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Portage.
I – 80: Designation given to Indiana Toll Road from Portage east to Ohio State Line.
I – 90: Under construction from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Portage.
I – 90: Designation given to Indiana Toll Road from Portage east to Ohio State Line.
I – 94: Designation given to Indiana Toll Road from Illinois-Indiana State line west to Portage.
I – 294: Under construction from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Portage.
I – 465: Under construction from US 40 (west leg) to end of ramps to I-65.

1961

I – 65: Completed from Underwood to SR 256.
I – 65: Under construction, US 50 to SR 46 west of Columbus.
I – 69: Under construction, US 24 southwest of Fort Wayne to Allen-Dekalb County Line.
I – 70: Under construction, Current SR 1 to Centerville Road.
I – 70: Completed from Centerville Road to US 40 east of Richmond.
I – 74: Under construction, SR 39 to I-465.
I – 74: Completed from SR 9 to SR 244.
I – 80: Completed from Calumet Avenue (US 41) to SR 55.
I – 90: Completed from Calumet Avenue (US 41) to SR 55.
I – 294: Completed from Calumet Avenue (US 41) to SR 55.
I – 465: Under construction, US 40 to White River in southern Marion County.

1962

I – 65: Under construction, SR 46 to US 31 at Taylorsville.
I – 65: Completed from Lafayette Road exit to Hendricks-Marion County Line.
I – 69: Under constrcution, Allen-Dekalb County Line to east of St. Johns.
I – 70: Under construction, US 40 east of Richmond to Indiana-Ohio State Line.
I – 74: Completed from SR 39 to I – 465.
I – 74: Under construction, SR 244 to east of Batesville.
I – 465: Completed from US 40 to I-65.
I – 465: Under construction, Emerson Avenue (Beech Grove) to I-74 in southeastern Marion County.

1963

I – 65: Completed US 50 to US 31 at Taylorsville.
I – 69: Completed from US 24 southwest of Fort Wayne to Allen-Dekalb County Line.
I – 74: Completed to US 136 west of Veedersburg.
I – 74: Completed from SR 244 to Shelby-Rush-Decatur County Line.
I – 74: Completed from US 52 in Dearborn County to Indiana-Ohio State Line.
I – 80: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Calumet Avenue (US 41).
I – 90: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Calumet Avenue (US 41).
I – 294: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Calumet Avenue (US 41).
I – 465: Completed from US 40 to future SR 37 (Harding Street).

1964

I – 69: Under construction, from SR 38 west of Pendleton to SR 18 east of Marion.
I – 69: Completed from Allen-Dekalb County Line to St. Johns.
I – 69: Under construction, from St. Johns to US 27/SR 8 west of Auburn.
I – 70: Completed from (now old) SR 1 to Centerville Road.
I – 74: Completed from Shelby-Rush-Decatur County Line to SR 1 near St. Leon.
I – 74: Under construction, from SR 1 to US 52.
I – 465: Completed from Harding Street (SR 37) to US 31 (East Street).
I – 465: Completed from US 52/Brookville Road to Emerson Avenue. It should be noted that the section from US 52 south to I-74 would become part of SR 100/Shadeland Avenue later.

1965

I – 64: Location approved, entire length in Indiana.
I – 65: Location approved, US 31 at Taylorsville to I-465.
I – 65: Location approved, end of Lebanon Bypass to SR 2 in Lake County.
I – 65: Under construction, from SR 2 to SR 8/53, both locations in Lake County.
I – 65: Location approved, SR 8/53 to I-90.
I – 69: Location approved, SR 37 to SR 38.
I – 69: Completed from SR 38 west of Pendleton to SR 18 east of Marion.
I – 69: Under construction, from SR 18 east of Marion to US 24 southwest of Fort Wayne.
I – 69: Completed from St. Johns to US 6.
I – 69: Under construction, from US 6 to US 20.
I – 69: Location approved, US 20 to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 70: Under construction, Illinois-Indiana State Linet o US 41/150.
I – 70: Location approved, US 41/150 to I-465.
I – 70: Location approved, SR 100 (Shadeland Avenue) to (now old) SR 1.
I – 74: Location approved, US 136 west of Veedersburg to west of SR 341.
I – 74: Under construction, west of SR 341 to SR 39.
I – 74: Completed from SR 1 near St. Leon to US 52, thus completing road from Indianapolis to Ohio.
I – 90: Designation moved to Indiana Toll Road from Portage west.
I – 94: Designation moved to Tri-State Highway (with I-80) from Portage west.
I – 94: Location approved, Indiana Toll Road to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 265: Location approved, I-64 to I-65.
I – 294: Removed from Indiana.
I – 465: Location approved, I-74/SR 100 to I-65 in Boone County. (What is now 865 was original 465.)

1966

I – 64: Under construction, SR 64 to US 150.
I – 65: Under construction, from near Kankakee River to near US 6 in Hobart.
I – 69: Completed from US 6 to US 20.
I – 69: Under construction, from US 20 to SR 127.
I – 70: Under construction, US 41/150 to SR 46.
I – 70: Under construction, west of SR 243 to east of US 231.
I – 70: Under construction, south of Mohawk to east of SR 109.
I – 70: Under construction, SR 3 to (now old) SR 1.
I – 74: Completed from US 136 west of Veedersburg to SR 39, thus completing entire road in Indiana.
I – 80: Completed from SR 55 to Indiana Toll Road.
I – 94: Completed from SR 55 to Indiana Toll Road.

1967

I – 64: Under construction, SR 165 to US 41.
I – 65: Completed from Southport Road to I-465.
I – 65: Under construction, from US 231 north of US 24 to I-90.
I – 69: Under construction, from SR 37 to SR 38.
I – 69: Under construction, from US 20 to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 70: Under construction from SR 59 east to I – 465 west of Indianapolis.
I – 70: Completed from SR 3 to SR 1.
I – 465: Under construction, from 56th Street/SR 100 to I-74/SR 100.
I – 465: Under construction, from US 421 to US 31 on north side.

1968

I – 64: Under construction, from Illinois-Indiana State Line to SR 57.
I – 64: Completed from SR 64 to connection in Kentucky.
I – 65: Completed from 38th Street, Indianapolis, to Lafayette Road, Indianapolis.
I – 65: Under construction, SR 43 north of Lafayette to US 30.
I – 65: Completed from US 30 to I-90.
I – 69: Completed from US 20 to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 70: Completed from US 41 to SR 46.
I – 70: Completed from SR 243 to US 231.
I – 70: Completed from SR 9 to SR 3.
I – 465: Under construction, from SR 37A (Allisonville Road) to I-65 near Royalton.
I – 465: Completed from Pendleton Pike (US 36/SR 67) to I-74.

1969

I – 64: Completed from SR 65 to US 41.
I – 65: Under construction, from US 31 at Taylorsville to SR 252.
I – 65: Under construction, from SR 28 to SR 16.
I – 65: Completed from SR 16 to US 30.
I – 70: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to US 41/US 150.
I – 70: Completed from US 421 to I-465.
I – 70: Completed from SR 100 to SR 9.
I – 94: Under construction, from I-90 to SR 249.
I – 465: Under construction, from I-65 to 56th Street/SR 100.
I – 465: Completed from 56th Street/SR 100 to Pendleton Pike (US 36/SR 67).
SR 100: (Included because it will become the west leg of I-465 between I-65 to I-465 north leg.) Under construction, from I-465 west leg to I-465 north leg.

1970

I – 64: Completed from Illinois-Indiana state line to SR 65.
I – 65: Under construction from Taylorsville to Greenwood.
I – 65: Under construction from Lebanon to US 24/231.
I – 65: Completed from US 24/231 to SR 16.
I – 69: Completed form SR 238 to SR 38.
I – 70: Completed from SR 46 to SR 243.
I – 70: Completed from I – 465 to Holt Road.
I – 94: Completed from I – 90 to SR 249.
I – 94: Under construction, from SR 249 to SR 149.
I – 94: Under construction, for Waterford to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 465: Completed from I-65 in Boone County to 56th Street/Shadeland Avenue.
SR 100: Completed connector between I-65 and I-465 north leg, soon to become northwest leg of 465.

1971

I – 64: Completed from SR 65 to US 41.
I – 64: Under construction, from US 41 to SR 61.
I – 64: Under construction, from SR 337 to SR 64.
I – 65: Under construction, Greenwood to Southport Road.
I – 65: Completed from SR 25 northeast of Lafayette to US 24/231.
I – 69: Completed from SR 37 to SR 238.
I – 94: Under construction, from SR 249 to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
SR 100: Redesignated I-465, causing confusion until creation of I-865.

1972

I – 64: Completed from US 41 to SR 57, and Lanesville to SR 64.
I – 64: Under construction from SR 57 to SR 162, and SR 66 to Lanesville.
I – 65: Completed from West Street, Indianapolis, to 38th Street, Indianapolis.
I – 65: Completed from US 52 northwest of Lebanon to SR 25 northeast of Lafayette.
I – 69: Completed from I-465 to SR 37, thus completing original planned route in Indiana.
I – 94: Completed from SR 249 to US 20, west of Chesterton.
I – 94: Completed from US 20/35 east of Michigan City to Indiana-Michigan State Line.

1973

I – 65: Completed from SR 252 to Southport Road, Marion County.
I – 94: Completed from US 20 west of Chesterton to US 20/35 east of Michigan City. Thus completing the route in Indiana.

1974

I – 64: Completed from SR 57 to SR 61.
I – 64: Completed from SR 135 to Lanesville.
I – 65: Under construction, Keystone Avenue to West Street, Indianapolis.
I – 70: Under construction, Holt Road to Shadeland Avenue, Indianapolis.

1976

I – 64: Completed from SR 61 to US 231.
I – 64: Completed from SR 37 to SR 135.

1977

I – 64: Completed from SR 61 to SR 37, thus completing route through Indiana.
I – 65: Completed from Keystone Avenue to West Street, thus completing route through Indiana.
I – 70: Completed from Holt Road to Shadeland Avenue, thus completing route through Indiana.
I – 265: Completed from I-64 to I-65.

Now, there are additional interstates that have been added to Indiana since the end of this timeline: I – 469, the Fort Wayne beltway; I – 164, the Evansville access to I-64, which is now a part of I-69; I – 865, the original I-465 that became “the dogleg” for many years; and, of course, the I-69 extension, which as of this writing extends from Martinsville to Evansville. There is also the outside possibility that should US 31 be completed to interstate standards between Indianapolis and South Bend, which is slowly becoming a reality, it will receive an interstate number, as well. I am not holding my breath.

Due to its location, Indiana has been crossed by railroads since the railroad boom began. As time went on, most railroad companies in Indiana would be consolidated into larger, mostly eastern, railroad companies. The two biggest in Indiana were the Pennsylvania and the New York Central. Other eastern railroads would come to the state, in smaller proportions. One of these was the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O), usually referred to as the Chessie.

What would become the C&O of Indiana was a relative late comer to the state. The original plan for the railroad company, chartered as the Chicago & Cincinnati on 22 January 1902, was to create a direct connection between the two title cities. Another railroad, the Cincinnati, Richmond & Muncie (CR&M), was chartered on 23 March 1900. These two companies were merged into a second Cincinnati, Richmond & Muncie Railroad on 20 May 1902.

The first CR&M did actually build a great deal of track. In 1901, the company connected Cottage Grove to Muncie for a total of 57.89 miles. Cottage Grove is a town southeast of Liberty in Union County. This route came out of Cottage Grove due north, connecting to Richmond and Muncie. The route connecting Richmond to Muncie basically follow what is now US 35 between the two cities.

The second piece of track built by the first CR&M was completed in 1902 from Muncie to North Judson, 109.9 miles. This connected Muncie to Marion and Peru on its way to North Judson. At that time, North Judson was serviced by several railroads at that time. By 1910, these railroads were the New York Central, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis (aka Panhandle) of the Pennsylvania, and the Erie. This would allow the CR&M access to Chicago via trackage rights. It should be noted here that the Panhandle route that connected to North Judson also connect that town to Marion, like the CR&M. The Panhandle route, though, connected through Logansport.The second CR&M company would connect North Judson to Beatrice, a span of 26.7 miles, in 1902.

Another company that would build part of the completed route from Cincinnati to Chicago would be formed on 7 March 1902 in Ohio as the Cincinnati & Indiana Western. That company started construction on the line from Cincinnati to Cottage Grove, a line of 45 miles. This company, however, would not complete this construction before it was consolidated, on 1 June 1903, with the second Cincinnati, Richmond & Muncie to become the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad (CC&L). This company complete the line that the Cincinnati & Indiana Western started on 7 February 1904. On the same day, the company opened trackage from Beatrice, in Porter County, to Griffith, in Lake County. Completion of the tracks would connect Cincinnati to Griffith.

The line would end at Griffith until trackage was completed, in October 1907, to the Illinois-Indiana State Line by the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville. On 2 July 1910, a new company was chartered in Indiana, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company of Indiana (C&O-I). This company was formed after the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville was sold at foreclosure on 23 June 1910. The new C&O-I acquired the CC&L property three days after it was formed.

The Chesapeake & Ohio would continue through many changes of ownership. At one point, the majority of the stock in the C&O also owned the majority shares in the Nickel Plate, Pere Marquette and the Erie. This fell apart with the onset of the Great Depression. The C&O would, in 1973, be loosely combined with the Baltimore & Ohio and the Western Maryland to form the Chessie System. Eventually, these three lines would be gradually integrated, forming a cohesive whole. 1982 saw the Chessie System merge with the Seaboard Coast Line (the owner of the former Monon in Indiana) to create CSX Transportation. Five years later, CSX decided that the old C&O-I line across Indiana was no longer needed. Most of it was abandoned and pulled up. The old route forms the basis of the Cardinal Greenway, a rail-trail that, when completed, would use most of the old right of way to connect Richmond to Marion with a multi-use recreational facility.

While Indianapolis was Indiana’s largest city, and had the most railroads connecting it to the rest of the country, Indiana’s second largest city was connected by railroads relatively early. Like Indianapolis, Fort Wayne wasn’t controlled by one railroad company. While the largest railroad company in Fort Wayne was the Pennsylvania, it found itself also on routes that would become part of the New York Central System, the Nickle Plate and the Wabash Railway.

Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw: In 1880, the station was listed in the Polk’s City Directory at the corner of First Street and the railroad. The company, under that name, was created in April 1869 from the consolidation of the Jackson, Fort Wayne & Cincinnati and the Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad companies. It wouldn’t be long after the publication of the City Directory of 1880 that the company would change its name again, to Fort Wayne & Jackson. Beginning on 1 September 1882, the railroad found itself being leased by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, part of the New York Central System in Indiana before the inclusion of the Big Four. From 1 September 1882 to 31 December 1912, the Fort Wayne & Jackson did not keep its own records, with all financial reports being part of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.

Fort Wayne, Muncie & Cincinnati: This company would start as the Fort Wayne & Southern, chartered in Indiana on 15 January 1849. It was sold at foreclosure twice…the first time was set aside by the courts on 20 May 1867. On 7 November 1868, it was sold again and name changed to For Wayne, Muncie & Cincinnati Railway. After a consolidation on 4 January 1871 with the New Castle & Muncie and the Connersville & New Castle Junction, the Railway part of the name was changed to Railroad. The name would change again in December 1881 to Fort Wayne, Cincinnati & Louisville. Again, another consolidation would occur, this time on 11 November 1886, with the New Castle & Rushville Rail Road. Although it was sold to the Lake Erie & Western on 28 May 1890, it would remain separate until the merger, in 1923, into the Nickle Plate. The station was, according to the 1880 City Directory, between Cass and the railroad on First Street.

Grand Rapids & Indiana: In 1880, the Grand Rapids & Indiana shared office and stations with the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago. This makes sense, as the major investor, and owner of the majority of capital stock, was the Pennsylvania Company, operators of the Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh & Erie. There were five different companies with the name Grand Rapids & Indiana, each a direct descendant of the one before. The first four were “Railroad,” with the fifth being “Railway.” The first was chartered in Indiana on 26 January 1854. This was consolidated into the second on 1 September 1855. On 30 July 1857, it became the third iteration of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad. A consolidation on 1 October 1884 created the fourth GR&I. The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway was created after the last GR&I was sold at foreclosure on 10 June 1896.

Cincinnati, Richmond & Fort Wayne: Another company that would fall under the control of the Pennsylvania Company. In this case, the Pennsylvania owned the majority of the capital stock, but it was actually leased and operated, since 25 December 1871, by the Grand Rapids & Indiana. It had been completed around the same time as the lease agreement was made.

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago: I covered this railroad in detail in June 2019. According to the Polk’s City Directory, the offices for this and the two previous companies was on Clinton between Holman and the railroad. The freight depot was also on Clinton, at the railroad.

Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific: In 1880, the passenger and freight stations on Calhoun and the Master Mechanic’s office on Fairfield. The Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific was created on 10 November 1879 with the consolidation of several railway companies, including the Toledo, Wabash & Western, which itself was a consolidation of several companies. This railroad is going to require an entire article all of its own. It would become known as the Wabash Railroad Company on 1 August 1889, with a mass consolidation. That, however, would only last until 21 July 1915, when it was sold at foreclosure to become the Wabash Railway Company.

In 1962, plans were laid to create an expressway connecting Weir Cook Municipal Airport on the west side to Interstate 74 on the east side. The project was projected to cost $15 million. It would be run along the Raymond Street corridor, including new interchanges, widened roads, and new bridges. $7.5 million dollars was announced in the city’s plans in 1959. (Source: Indianapolis News, 29 December 1959) The plan was presented to the Indianapolis Board of Public Works on 08 March 1962.

Raymond Street is a survey line two miles south of the central line through Indianapolis (closest to Washington Street) and three miles south of the geographic center of Marion County (known as 10th Street). The plans presented to the board only covered the stretch from Belmont Avenue to Interstate 74. Plans west of Belmont Avenue hadn’t been nailed down as of the writing of the presented report. It was mentioned in the Indianapolis Star of 8 March 1962 that the proposed expressway would connect to the proposed Bradbury Street Expressway that was being built to connect the Airport to Interstate 465.

A big part of the proposed expense for the expressway was going to be for right-of-way acquisition. The plan called for a road that included four 12-foot lanes and a 16-foot divider strip. The first section of the planned expressway that was opened, but not as an expressway, from west of Kentucky Avenue to Harding Street would be built south of the then Raymond Street. The report states that the north side of Raymond Street would remain as it was at the time in 1962. The pictured section below was opened on 7 March 1967 according to the Indianapolis News of that day. This section cost $800,000.

The original plan called for a diamond interchange at Harding Street. Harding Street was to be an overpass of Raymond Street. From Harding Street east, the right-of-way would be taken from the north side of Raymond Street. That would continue to Churchman Avenue. A new interchange would be built at Madison Avenue, and a new bridge over Pleasant Run. From Churchman, the right of way would include, according to plan, both sides of the road. Underpasses at the New York Central tracks, east of Sherman Drive, would be replaced with one large overpass. The end of the expressway would be at Southeastern Avenue, which would carry traffic to I-74 near the Marion County Fairgrounds.

Raymond Street became a bone of contention between the state and the city when Interstate 65 was being planned. The Department of Highways decided, when laying out the interchange plan for the new highway, that the ramps to Raymond Street would be three lanes wide. This caused a problem because Raymond Street was, at that time, still only two lanes wide. “If this occurs ‘you will have a mess,’ according to Assistant City Engineer John A. Mascari.” (Source: Indianapolis Star, 13 February 1968) The solution would be to make Raymond Street six lanes wide from State to East Streets. The cost of the project was estimated to be between $450,00 and $500,000. The city didn’t own the right of way, and also didn’t have the money to do the work.

As it turned out, the right of way for the expanded Raymond Street, which ended up being built as just a widened city street, would be taken mostly from the south side of the street. There were two underpasses east of Sherman Drive. These were dangerous situations, since they were actually single lane in each direction with a large bridge stanchion in the middle. By 1979, the new Raymond Street main thoroughfare was complete from White River west and Shelby Street east. Between those two points, most of Raymond Street was still a three lane street. No interchanges were built, although access to White River Parkway/West Street would be via access roads below and beside a high level bridge over the river. The section between Meridian and Shelby Streets would be complete by 1993. The rest would be done by 1995.

What started as the Bradbury Street Expressway became known as Raymond Expressway before its name was changed to Airport Expressway. News reports have that change from Raymond to Airport being in 1969. But the picture below shows INDOH signs in 1976. And the section from Holt Road to Kentucky Avenue didn’t open until November 1980. It ended, before that time, at Holt Road and Kelly Street. When the airport moved its terminal to the other side of the property, it became Sam Jones Expressway.

Today, I want to show off how the Indiana State Highway Commission, through the Indiana Official State Highway Map, showed Marion County, and the various roads connecting to the Hoosier Capital. You never really know how much the routes have changed until you see them side by side by side.

All of images are taken from my personal collection.

Interstate 465. The Indianapolis bypass road has been a vital part of the fabric of the transportation system in central Indiana. The construction of this interstate started on the west side of Marion County, where it connected to I-65. It then worked its way around Marion County along the south, then east, sides. Construction of the north side section was completed in 1968. But it really wasn’t that simple. Planning actually started in 1961 for that section. And the state had been given five choices for the routing.

It is important to point out why I-465 is located where it is. I have covered this several times, but a brief overview is important for the context of the five choices. I-465 was a replacement (and completion) of SR 100, the Indianapolis bypass highway. When SR 100 was put down in plans, the rough line of the road was to be Shadeland/Five Points Roads, 82nd and 86th Streets, High School Road, and Thompson Road. A quick glance at a map shows that I-465 doesn’t vary too far from this plan.

The north side section I-465 would be the part of the road that would stray furthest from the original SR 100. But this was only in the final construction. In the five alternatives, some would be closer to the old state road. The proposals mentioned below were published publicly in June 1961.

The first plan, alternate A, “begins at a point on Ditch Road and continues eastward, generally adjacent to, and south of route 100 and 86th Street to a point just west of Spring Mill Road; thence northeast to a location about 1500 feet north of 86th Street; thence east to Manderley Road where it turns southeast and assumes the original alignment of Route 100. It then travels easterly to a point just east of Allisonville Road; thence southeasterly to the proposed east leg of IR 465 just north of 71st Street. All of Alternate A lies in Marion County.”

Alternate B, which begins at a point on Ditch Road about 2000 feet north of Alternate A extends easterly along a half section line (today known as the line of 91st Street) to College Avenue; thence northeast for about one mile to proposed SR 431; thence it bears southeast to the proposed east leg of IR 465 just north of 71st Street. All of Alternate B lies in Marion County.

Alternate C, which begins at a point on Ditch Road at 96th Street and extends easterly, adjacent to 96th Street, to the Monon R.R. where it again assumes the alignment of Alternate B to the proposed east leg of IR 465 just north of 71st Street. All of Alternate C lies in Hamilton and Marion Counties.

Alternate D, which begins at a point on Ditch Road about 200 feet north of 111th Street, thence easterly to the Monon R.R. The proposal then turns southeasterly to a point on proposed SR 431 approximately 1,600 feet north of 99th Street; thence it continues south by east over 96th Street to River Road where it turns almost due east to cross White River; thence southeast again to the proposed east leg of IR 465 just north of 71st Street. All of Alternate D lies in Hamilton and Marion Counties.

Alternate E, which begins at a point on Ditch Road about 800 south of 96th Street, and turns northeastward about 200 feet east of there to a point approximately 1,200 feet north of 96th; thence easterly to College Avenue where it assumes a southeasterly course crossing 96th Street about 400 feet east of the Monon R.R. and continues southeasterly to a proposed interchange with proposed SR 431 near 92nd Street. The alignment continues southeasterly crossing White River to a proposed interchange with SR 37A (Allisonville Road) about 1,700 feet north of the Junction of SR 37A and SR 100; then southeasterly to a proposed interchange with SR 37 and continues southeasterly to the proposed east leg of IR 465 just north of 71st Street. All of Alternate E lies in Hamilton and Marion Counties.

It should be noted that newspapers of the time covered the fact that, while the Highway Commission was planning I-465, or Alternate SR 100 as it was also known, plans were in the works to expand SR 100, at least on the north side. Also, a group called A Better County, Inc., was also pushing for I-465 to be even FURTHER out…as in north of Carmel. The proposals mentioned above were seen by that groups as representing “a deterent to the natural development of greater Indianapolis northward, and to the natural development of the town of Carmel southward.” It should be noted that while the words are quoted verbatim, the print was actually in all caps. Oh, yes. This half page ad by A Better County, Inc., had a LOT of caps in it.

I find it hard to say, given fifty years of its existence, that I-465 has hindered ANY development in the area. Also, the alternate that was chosen, closely resembling Alternate E, while not the greatest today, was at the time a good compromise. Alternate A would have, if I read it correctly, removed what is now known as the David Wolf Bridge across White River on 82nd/86th Street. Alternate D would have pushed the road 1.5 miles into Hamilton County. And none of these plans include anything about completing I-465, which at the time would be what is now I-865. (The section between I-865 and I-65, through what is now Park 100, came later. As a matter of fact, when it was proposed, that would have been SR 100, with I-465 still running from south of Whitestown [now 865] east, then south, then west, then north to what is now the ramp from I-465 to I-65 near Eagle Creek Park.)

I have covered many times about what state roads in Indiana were in the 1820’s through the 1840’s. At that time, a law was passed to make the state road, the road was built, and then it was turned over to the counties for maintenance. While these roads were built to connect towns, occasionally they were built to the property of specific individuals. Even then, the state didn’t seem to have the power to take personal property to create these roads, leading them to twist and turn their way across the state based on property lines and roads that were already in place to connect them. State roads were established TO destinations, not with specific instructions.

The purpose of this post is to show the creation of state roads, specifically from the acts of the Indiana Legislature of 1832-33. It will be more of a list post than anything, but it will give you an idea of what the legislature was thinking when it created those early state roads.

The following was taken from the Richmond Weekly Palladium of 16 February 1833. All spelling, capitalization, punctuation and grammar is as it appears in that newspaper.

To establish a state road from Fairfield in Franklin county to West Union in Fayette county. (Fairfield is seven miles north of Brookville. West Union is a village seven miles south-east from Connersville.)

To alter a part of the Mooresville and Crawfordsville state road, lying between Mooresville and Danville.

To relocate a part of the Terre-Haute state road.

Supplemental to an act entitled “an act to amend the act entitled an act to establish a state road from William Connelly’s in Lawrence county, to Greencastle in Putnam county, approved February 3, 1832.

Locating a state road from Delphi in Carroll county, to Crawfordsville in Montgomery county.

Authorizing a change in a part of the Munceytown (Muncie) and Logansport state road.

To establish a state road from Mount Pleasant in Martin county, to Springville in Lawrence county. (As listed in the 1833 Indiana Gazetteer, Mount Pleasant is a post town and county seat of Martin County, located on the west bank of the east fork of the White River, on the New Albany-Vincennes State Road. It was only the county seat from 1828 to 1844.)

To establish a state road from Fairplay in Green county, to intersect the Vincennes state road, at or near Benjamin Stafford’s in said county. (The village of Fairplay was three miles north of Bloomfield along the White River.)

To locate the Alquina state road.

To locate a state road from James Marr’s in Barthlolomew county, to Jacob Woodruff’s in Johnson county.

To locate a state road from Delphi to Munceytown.

To locate part of the Martinsville, Danville and Franklin State road and for other purposes.

To locate and establish a state road from the Fort Wayne road, near Stephen Stutsman’s, by way of the mouth of the Elkhart river, to the State line, in the direction of Edwardsburgh in Michigan territory.

To locate and establish a State road from Orleans, in Orange county, via Lavonia in Washington county, to intersect the State road leading from New Albany to Vincennes in the direction of Greenville, in Floyd county.

To locate a State road from New Castle in Henry county, to Munceytown, in Delaware county.

To locate so much of the Knightstown State road as lies between Pendleton, in Madison county, and strawtown in Hamilton county.

To relocate part of the Mauk’s ferry State road.

To establish a State road from Salisbury, in Harrison county, to Providence, in Clark county, by the way of Greenville in Floyd county. (The mentioned Providence was on the Muddy Fork of Silver Creek about 16 miles west north-west of Charlestown.)

To locate a State road from Lagrange in Tippecanoe county, to the State road leading from Williamsport, in Warren county, to Chicago in the State of Illinois.

To locate a State road from Centreville in Wayne county to a certain point in Henry county.

To establish a State road from Frankfort to a point on the Michigan road, and other purposes.

To establish a State road from Bloomington in Monroe county, by way of Bale’s ferry to Leesville, in Lawrence county. For the relief of Thomas Pogue and others.

Supplemental to an act authorizing the location of a State road from Lafayette, to Lake Michigan.

To vacate a certain State road therein named.

To locate a State road from Frenchtown in Warren county to Rusks’ Mill, in Parke county.

To locate a state road therein named.

To establish a state road from Shelbyville, in Shelby county, by the way of Goshen and Newbern, in Barthlomew county, to intersect the Indianapolis and Madison state road, near Klapp’s mills, in Jennings county. (The mentioned Goshen mentioned in this reference was the original name for the town of Hope. Newbern has been mentioned in several posts as having been on the state road from Shelbyville to Madison. One would assume that this is the act creating that road.)

To establish a state road from Lexington in Scott county, to Charlestown in Clark county, and for other purposes.

Looking at some of the locations on this list, it isn’t hard to tell that some of these roads still exist. Many are in the hands of the local counties. Some have been bypassed in places, cut off in others. Some of the places listed no longer exist. Others are just vague, with no locations of destinations mentioned.

As an aside, also passed by the legislature in that session was a joint resolution “on the subject of a railroad from the Mississippi river to the city of Washington.” That could be almost any number of routes across the state. I won’t even begin to venture a guess as to which it could have been.

Indiana has had two very short lived US routes that traversed the state. One, which I will cover later as part of the Road Trip 1926 series, US 112, and another that existed from 1934 to 1938. That second road was known as US 152.

US 152 started, at the south end, in Indianapolis. The road was multiplexed with its “mother” route, US 52, northwest out of Indianapolis via old Lafayette State Road. This multiplex carried both roads through Lebanon to Lafayette. When the US 52 bypass was built around Lafayette, it also included US 152.

The multiplex of US 52/152 ended at Montmorenci. While US 52 continued to the northwest, US 152 turned due north. It would stay going this direction, with a short correction, until it met US 24 near and through Walcott. US 24 and 152 were multiplexed to Remington, where US 152 turned north again.

US 152 continued its northward journey through Rensselaer to where the road met SR 10 near Kersey. The road then multiplexed with SR 10 until they turned separate ways (SR 10 west south, US 152 north) near Demotte. US 152 again continues north until it reached Hebron. At Hebron, it turned northwest, connecting to Crown Point. There, it turned due west, ending at US 41. In the early days of its existence, US 52 also ended at US 41 near Fowler. So both roads, when created, ended at this major US route in western Indiana.

As I mentioned before, US 152 had a very short life. By 1939, all references to US 152 disappeared from the state. The section that was US 152 from Montmorenci to Crown Point became SR 53 in 1939. From Crown Point to US 41, it was recommissioned SR 8. By 1942, SR 53 was moved to the east of Crown Point, and the section between Hebron and the new SR 53 became a multiplex of SR 8 and SR 53, with the continuation into Crown Point being just SR 8.

According to the Indiana Official State Highway maps of 1953, the US route designation would be returned to the old US 152 routing from Lafayette to US 41 west of Crown Point. This time, however, it would become known, as it still is today, as US 231. It would also retain it state road designations until 1971. This would leave US 231 a solo road from the time it left its multiplex with US 52 from Lafayette to Montmorenci. Below Lafayette, US 231 stayed multiplexed with state roads through the rest of Indiana…mostly SR 43. But that is a subject for another post.

Published on 6 December 1969, Bill Roberts wrote, for the Indianapolis News, an article that had the same title as this post: “Indiana – A Rail Center.” That article was one of the most complete, while being journalistically efficient (students of journalism will understand that), histories of the railroad system in Indiana I have ever read. It started with the beginning of construction on the Madison & Indianapolis in 1836 to what had survived to date in 1969. It basically included everything that involved using rails…including the interurbans.

The speed with which Indiana acquired its relatively large railroad network was rather remarkable. Railroads weren’t truly a tested technology when construction began in 1836 on the Madison & Indianapolis. While it wasn’t the only railroad included in the Mammoth Improvement Bill of 1836, it was the only one built. It took 11 years to reach Indianapolis…a distance from Madison of less than 100 miles. Less than three years later, in 1850, the total railroad mileage in the state was little more than 200. By 1880, that had ballooned to 4,373. There were 46 railroads, all independent, operating in Indiana that year. The article goes on to list them all, which I will not do here. Some of those companies in 1880 were grandiosely titled routes that had barely 20 miles of track. For instance, the Anderson, Lebanon & St. Louis (AL&StL). That railroad, at the time, only ran from Anderson to Noblesville, a total of 19 miles.

By 1920, when railroad mileage in Indiana was reaching its peak, there were only 28 railroad companies operating 7,426 miles of track in the state. Most railroads in the state were consolidated, company wise, through (what seemed to be far too) usually bankruptcy purchases. By the time of the publishing of the article in 1969, the following railroad companies still existed in Indiana: Penn Central (by far the largest); Chesapeake & Ohio; Baltimore & Ohio; Norfolk & Western; Illinois Central; Monon; Chicago & Eastern Illinois (these last two would become Louisville & Nashville in less than two years); Southern; Erie Lackawana; Milwaukee; Grand Trunk Western; and Chicago, South Shore & South Bend. There actually was one more – a seven mile line between Ferdinand and Huntingburg called the Ferdinand Railroad. After being created in 1905, and reorganization in 1911, it still chugged on in 1969. It was finally abandoned and dismantled in 1991.

By 1990, this number would be a lot smaller. 1976 saw the Penn Central and Erie Lackawana becoming Conrail. Norfolk & Western and Southern would join to become Norfolk Southern. The consolidation of the Monon and the Chicago & Eastern Illinois into the Louisville & Nashville, and the consolidation of the Chesapeake & Ohio and the Baltimore & Ohio into the Chessie System, would eventually lead to what is now CSX, or Chessie Seaboard Transportation. (The L&N would become part of the Seaboard Coast Lines, the ‘S’ in CSX.)

The article mentions, not incorrectly, that the interurban system came directly from the creation of the electric street railways between 1882 and 1895 in cities across Indiana, including Anderson, Columbus, Elwood, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, Logansport, Richmond, South Bend and Terre Haute. The street railway system of Terre Haute would actually own most of the interurbans in the central part of the state and the street railways of Indianapolis. The street railways connecting to other towns was a logical extension of what was already in place. And Indiana’s interurban mileage was only second to Ohio.

The companies creating the Penn Central at the time of this article, the old Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central, were the biggest two railroad companies in Indiana. The Pennsylvania was the first to truly consolidate their lines of the Southwestern System into one unit, known as the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis…or Panhandle. Another series of consolidations west of Indianapolis created the Vandalia in 1904. 1916 saw both the Vandalia and Panhandle become one.

The New York Central brought quite a bit of infrastructure to Indiana in their wake. First, by 1911, were the Beech Grove shops of the Big Four. At the time, the Big Four was a subsidiary of the New York Central…a leased operation. It wouldn’t be until 1930 that the Big Four would finally be absorbed by the New York Central completely. The Beech Grove Yards were used by the NYC for system wide repairs. The other legacy that was dragged into Penn Central by the New York Central was the Avon Yards. These railroad yards were, when built, state of the art.

Another example of the railroad center that is Indiana is Indianapolis Union Station. When built, Indianapolis Union Depot was the first of its kind. The five railroads that converged on the Hoosier capital made arrangements to work together to create a central location for passengers. Prior to that, stations were all over the downtown area for each of the railroads. The Union Depot became Union Station in the late 1880’s, with the building of a replacement for the old Depot. The late 1910’s to early 1920’s saw the capacity increased with the elevation of the tracks at Union Station. Along with the Union Depot/Union Station, the same owners built a Belt Railroad around the city of Indianapolis. The article mentions that the current owner of the Union Station, Penn Central, would love to get rid of the deteriorating albatross. The Penn Central became the owners of the Indianapolis Union Railway (the Belt and the station trackage) because the Pennsylvania owned 60% of the company, and the New York Central owned the other almost half. With their merger in 1968, the became sole owners of the place.

Much of the railroad history in Indiana is long gone. Indianapolis, which would see in upwards of 200 passenger trains a day, is now down to one. And that is not even daily. Freight trains still cross the Indiana landscape, but not to the extent they once did. Due to abandonments and consolidations, many railroad track right of ways have been removed. A lot of the old Pennsylvania Railroad fell into this category, with the delayed maintenance taking its toll on the road before it became merged with the New York Central. By the time Conrail was created, most of the PRR tracks were too far gone to save. Getting to, say, New York from Indianapolis by train would require going to Chicago now…unless you are talking freight, then it requires a trip through Muncie because the direct line to Columbus, Ohio, has been gone since the early 1980’s.

Indiana’s railroad history is, while not completely gone, stumbling along as best it can given what is left.

When Carl Fisher started work on the first transcontinental highway, the Lincoln Highway, the only that that was decided was that it would connect the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. Some Indiana cities, especially Indianapolis, realized very early on that the “straightest and shortest course” of the highway would come nowhere them. Others, like Fort Wayne, held out hope that the road would connect them to the rest of the country. And it would.

The route was being laid out in 1913. When the decisions were made, the entire route would be 2,945 miles in length. This made the Lincoln Highway just 200 miles shorter than the most direct railroad route across the country. Mr. Fisher would appear in Fort Wayne on 10 October 1913 to let people of the area know that the highway would, in fact, traverse through the town. While making this announcement, Fisher also added that the 15 foot wide, nine inch deep, road would cost, on average $12, 000 a mile. In Indiana, due to cost of materials, the cost would be less. (Source: Fort Wayne Daily News, 11 October 1913)

Plans had already been put in place when it came to marking the “new” road. It is important to keep in mind that very little of the route was “new road.” And in Indiana, none of it was. It had been arranged that Indiana Paint & Varnish Company start marking the highway with “a bar of red three inches wide, a bar of white fifteen inches in width, and a bar of blue three inches in width. On the bar of white will be painted a large black ‘L’.” The local crews, from Fort Wayne, would cover the area from the Indiana-Ohio State Line to a point two miles north of Fort Wayne. There the “Churubusco delegation” would continue along the Goshen Road to Ligonier.

The routing of the Lincoln Highway east from South Bend was brought into question in January 1914. (Source: South Bend Tribune, 20 January 1914) Officials were thinking about moving the Lincoln Highway from Vistula Avenue through Mishawaka and Osceola to Jefferson Boulevard to the Elkhart County Line. This would have the result of removing the highway from Osceola. Reasoning for this was the dangerous railroad crossings that will be described in next. It should be noted here that the officials at Osceola were not having any of this talk, and refused to help in financing, in any way, the removal of the Lincoln Highway from their town.

Shortly after the highway was completed, Elkhart County officials had already decided on a plan to move the already marked highway. It was reported in the South Bend Tribune of 20 May 1916 that a new highway would be constructed eliminating all at grade railroad crossings between Elkhart and Osceola. The New York Central Railroad was donating land for the move, and the Northern Indiana Railway was moving its tracks to the south of the then current road at Osceola. This moving of the road would benefit travelers between South Bend and Elkhart, as the traffic on the NYC lines through the area had increased quite a bit.

In August 1915, there was talk about abandoning a section of the Lincoln Highway. The Indiana Public Service Commission was considering abandoning 800 feet of the original route one mile east of New Carlisle. (Source: South Bend Tribune, 19 August 1915) “Possibility of a change in the road to avoid considerable expense in the construction of a subway to the three railroads crossing the highway at this point, seems more likely.” The New York Central was pushing for a less costly crossing of the tracks. “The right to change the route of the Lincoln highway, alter the contract for the work now being done, the question of drainage in the subways, and the expense involved, are being considered by the service commission.”

When the Indiana State Highway Commission was originally created in 1917, the Lincoln Highway’s route across the state became known as “Mark Market Highway #2.” But there was work afoot, again from Commissioners of Elkhart County, to move parts of MMH 2 in Benton Township from east to west along the Lincoln Highway to a more southern route. The plan was to leave the highway at Corns Corners, run 2.5 miles south, then turn due east toward Ligonier, meeting the Lincoln again at Hire’s Corners. Since Federal and State money would be (not for two years) available to pave MMH 2, having the road to Goshen being within three miles of Lake Wawasee was seen as something to petition a change in the road for.

The oldest Federal Road in the United States, one that was known as the National Road, cuts its way across Indiana in a fairly straight path. The idea was, when the roads goals were expanded from the original idea of connecting Cumberland, Maryland, to the Ohio River at Wheeling, (West) Virginia, to connect the capitol cities of the new states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. In Indiana, that meant connecting through the middle of the state from Columbus, Ohio, in the east, then turning west-southwest to end up in Vandalia, Illinois, in the west. This road would prove to be very important to the settlement through the areas where it was built. But in Indiana, it would bypass some of what was, at the time, important towns along the way…the county seats.

Counties through which the National Road would be built had already been put in place between mostly 1820 and 1822. The amendment routing the road through the capitols of the new states was approved in 1825. Prior to this, the National Road would have been between 10 and 15 miles south of Indianapolis as originally planned. The road would be built through eight counties in Indiana. Along the way, it connected five county seats: Terre Haute, Richmond, Indianapolis (the state capital), Greenfield (created after the survey was done for the National Road) and Brazil (the county seat was moved there in 1877).

It should be noted here that while there were two counties called Wabash and Delaware at that time, they were unorganized territory given the names of counties until it could be organized into other counties. As a matter of fact, both of the future counties of those names actually were created from the unorganized Delaware County.

Vigo County: This county was created by law on 21 January 1818, to be effective 15 February 1818. It was taken from part of Sullivan County. The county seat was located on 21 March 1818 at Terre Haute. Terre Haute happened to be on a direct line from Indianapolis to Vandalia. Although the county changed its borders five times over the years (January 1819, January 1821, December 1821, December 1822, and April 1825) after creation, the county seat stayed in Terre Haute.

Clay County: Creation of this county was effective 1 April 1825, by statute of 12 February 1825, and was taken from Owen, Putnam, Vigo, and Sullivan Counties. In May 1825, the county seat was chosen to be the town of Bowling Green. Petitions to move the seat were advanced in 1843 and 1853, both failing. Another petition, in 1871, succeeded in moving the county seat to Brazil. The move wasn’t official until all the records were, after the completion of a new courthouse building, moved to Brazil in 1877. The location of Brazil had been on the National Road since it was built in the 1830’s.

Putnam County: Created from Owen, Vigo and Wabash Counties effective 1 April 1822, from a law passed 31 December 1821. Commissioners had failed to act the first time when it came to the county seat. A second set of commissioners, in April 1823, located the county seat at a survey location, not a town. Greencastle was platted at that location. It has been the county seat since. The National Road passed south of this location.

Hendricks County: Created by statute of 20 December 1823, effective 1 April 1824, Hendricks County was taken from both the unorganized Wabash and Delaware Counties. On 12 July of the same year, Danville was chosen as the county seat. The National Road passes south of this town. However, it should be noted that might not have been the case…had things in Illinois came together a few years earlier. Rumblings in Illinois, helped along by a lawyer named Abraham Lincoln, moved the capital of that state to Springfield, from Vandalia, in 1839. It could have been possible that the National Road could have run due west from Indianapolis to Springfield along the Rockville Road.

Marion County: Created from Delaware County effective 1 April 1822, on a law passed on 21 December 1821. This was to be the county that contained the new Indiana capital city platted by Alexander Ralston earlier in 1821. Due to its status as Indiana’s capital, the 1825 extension would connect to this county seat no matter what. It was routed through the new city along its main street (see Indianapolis Washington Street), which is why Washington Street, through downtown, actaully is angled just south of due east, then turns to north of due east. It should be noted that Indianapolis is technically not the county seat of Marion County. By law, Marion County’s seat of government is “square 58 in the town of Indianapolis.” That would put it on the National Road, as that is where the City-County Building now stands…and the county courthouse before that.

Hancock County: This county was created by statute on Christmas Eve, 1827, effective 1 March 1828. 41 days later, commissioners chose a spot along the new National Road survey to be the county seat. That town would become Greenfield. It would never lose its place as county seat.

Henry County: Passed on 31 December 1821, effective 1 Jun 1822, the law creating Henry County would take area from Delaware County. The town of New Castle was chose immediately as the county seat, a spot it has never relinquished. The future National Road would run south of New Castle.

Wayne County: This was actually the second such named county in the region of Indiana. The first was Wayne County of the Northwest Territories. While it encompassed a lot of the Indiana territory, it ended up in Michigan Territory when it was created. (With its seat of justice being Detroit.) The current Wayne County got its start when, effective 1 January 1811, parts of Clark and Dearborn Counties were taken away. The county seat was chosen on 5 December 1811 as Salisbury. When Wayne County’s borders were changed on 10 August 1818, the county seat was moved to Centerville. The National Road would connect to this town…and its successor, Richmond. That move happened on 15 August 1873.

I know this post is more history than transportation history. But I feel it is important to give some context behind the transportation at times.

When one looks at a map of the state of Indiana, one gets the impression that, with the exception of straightening roads here and there, the roads that are on the landscape have been there forever. When some of the names of these roads are taken into consideration (for example, in Marion County, where I am, we have Rockville Road, Lafayette Road, Zionsville Road, Westfield Boulevard, Allisonville Road, Pendleton Pike, Brookville Road, Shelbyville Road, Madison Avenue, etc.), it should be a dead giveaway where these roads go. For the most part, you would be accurate. However, doing some research into old state roads, especially from 1833, shines new light on what one would think about where these road go.

Let’s start with what is now SR 44. I covered it (outside of the Road Trip 1926 series) with the article “Fight for Adding SR 44 from Martinsville to Rushville.” What we now know as SR 44 from Franklin to Rushville wasn’t always as straight forward as it is today. The 1833 Indiana Gazetteer describes Shelby County as having “the advantage of several state roads.” This is true. The Michigan Road, which was also part of the Greensburgh (spelling at the time!) State Road and the Lawrenceburgh (again, spelling at the time) State Road, connected Indianapolis to not only Greensburg and Lawrenceburg, but to Madison, since that was where the Michigan Road started.

But several other roads were listed in the 1833 Gazetteer. And remember, I was discussing SR 44. “A road from Rushville to Edinburgh” passes through the central part of the county. The first part, from Rushville to Shelbyville, would become part of SR 44 almost a century later. But the second half of the road, from Shelbyville to Edinburgh, still roughly exists. The road in question doesn’t look like what is now Smithland Road. The Rushville State Road traveled through Shelbyville along what is now Washington Street, as did the original path of the Michigan Road. The Edinburgh side of the route would leave Shelbyville along Washington Street and follow Old Franklin Road/Old State Highway 44 to Marietta Road. Then along that route to Marietta. South of that town, at CR 700S, the road name changes to Edinburgh Road. While it doesn’t connect directly to Edinburgh…because old state roads rarely did connect directly to where they were going…you can still get there along that old road.

The other part of what would become SR 44 connected Franklin, in Johnson County, to Andersonville, on the Brookville State Road, in Franklin County. This old road would join the Rushville-Edinburgh road west of Shelbyville, enter that city on Washington Street, then leave following what is now Michigan Road to what is now SR 244.

Newbern, a town northeast of Columbus in Bartholomew County, had the honor of being along several old state roads. First, a road that connected Napoleon, on the Michigan and Lawrenceburg Roads, to Bloomington ran through the town. Another road connected Shelbyville to Madison more directly than did the Michigan Road. Also, a county road that connected Newbern to both Azalia and Greensburg ran through the town. The road to Greensburg would (probably) become part of SR 46 later in life.

Muncietown, now known as Muncie, also had the benefit of several state roads connecting it to the outside world. One road connected Indianapolis to the Ohio State Line through the town. It is a good guess that in the 20th century, this would become part of SR 67. Another state road route that would enter Muncie connected Richmond to Logansport. This would roughly be US 35 today…but was also known as SR 21 for a few short years between Richmond and Muncie. Also connecting to Muncie was a county road from New Castle to Fort Wayne. This would later become roughly SR 3.

For those of you that are really into the history of Indiana, be sure to check out Google Books for the Indiana Gazetteer of 1833 and Indiana Gazetteer of 1849. Both of those books make for some interesting reading. The both give a very good picture of Indiana at the time, with the names of locations throughout the state that may or may not be on maps today.

The Dixie Highway, described in the Indianapolis News of 18 September 1915, as “that born-in-Indianapolis enterprise,” spanned the eastern United States from both Chicago and northern Michigan to Miami, Florida. There were two routes of this cross-country highway. Both of them crossed Indiana. And both met in Indianapolis, home of Carl G. Fisher, creator of the Dixie Highway. But routing the highway got to be contentious. Towns across the state argued that the route should go through their area. Even Mr. Fisher got involved. Here are some of those stories.

BLOOMINGTON

First, we start with Bloomington. The Martinsville Reporter-Times, of 25 May 1915, reports that “Bloomington Will Celebrate. News of success in securing Dixie Highway brought joy to the people of University City.” The news reached Bloomington from Chattanooga, the home base of the Dixie Highway Association, via the local newspaper, the Bloomington Telephone. Bands played, flags flew and politicians made speeches celebrating the news. “The Chamber of Commerce is making plans to hold a big celebration in a few days over the result of the Dixie Highway contest. Thomas Taggart, who stood by Bloomington from the first to last, will be a special guest for the celebration and no doubt will be given a royal reception.”

FRANKLIN

This led to some hard feelings in other southern and central Indiana communities. First was Franklin. The town had the advantage of being on the state roads that connected Indianapolis to Madison, Jeffersonville, and Mauckport, as well as other destinations throughout the state. The Franklin Star, through the Reporter-Times article mentioned above, reported “the Dixie Highway will not be routed over the State road. Instead it will take the circuitous route leading from Louisville through Paoli, Bedford, Bloomington and Martinsville to Indianapolis.” The newspaper reports that the direct route “never had a chance, not even from the first.” This was due, according to sources, to the fact that the “direct route” didn’t have a member on the Commission deciding the route. Mr. Fisher himself lobbied for the route to go through Franklin, Columbus and Seymour as “it was the best and shortest.”

COLUMBUS

Columbus and its newspaper, the Republican, were more poetic in their disapproval of the choice. “The Dixie highway from Miami, Fla., to South Ben (sic), Ind., does not touch Columbus, side, edge or bottom. A gentleman by the name of Thomas Taggart, who was one of Indiana’s commissioners, seems to have had things his own way. As a result the route comes through Indiana from Louisville through Paoli (which is only a short distance from Taggart’s tavern at French Lick, and then includes Salem, Bedford, Bloomington and Martinsville as it winds its weary way over the hills and gullies to Indianapolis.” It also went on to say that “on the heels of the announcement that Franklin, Columbus, Seymour and Salem ‘also ran,’ comes a dispatch from Salem stating that articles of incorporation were to be filed with the Secretary of State today for a new association which would build a direct route through Indiana, connecting the local cities and making a highway that tourists would rather use than the official route through Bedford and Bloomington.” Carl Fisher was reported to have been a backer of the local association.

SEYMOUR

The Seymour Republican’s editorial board added this response: “Because of the winding, hilly, circuitous course selected in Indiana for the Dixie Highway it has been characterized as the ‘Nixie Highway’ and ‘pretzel road.'” The paper noted that it was almost a foregone conclusion that Seymour would be left off the Dixie Highway when it was decided that there would be two routes, one through Cincinnati and one through Louisville. “It was conceded then that politics had overshadowed the great purpose of the Dixie Highway movement and that the powers ‘that be’ would route the Indiana highway by way of French Lick.” The paper had less than pleasant things to say about Thomas Taggart, whom is described as the “king of Plutoville.” Mr. Taggart was busy from beginning to end of the talks. “Carl Fisher’s direct route plan was completely smothered under by the political machinations that were hatched up at the conference.” Although Fisher created the route, and the Lincoln Highway as well, he was all but ignored, and the decision “was left to the men having the most influential political pull and Thomas Taggart was ‘there with the goods.'” It is noted that the actions of the commission creating the route was in direct contravention with all the ideas of the “national good roads movement which has been to select the most direct route considering the number of people that will be benefited.”

The Seymour Republican went on to add something that would become prophetic: “the route through Bloomington and Bedford is so winding and hilly that it is doubtful if it will ever become a national highway. The government, it is conceded, will be slow to recognize it as a main highway and it is very doubtful if federal aid will ever be given for its improvement.” When the Indiana State Highway Commission was created in 1917, the “direct route” would be chosen as one of the first five “Main Market” roads, given the number 1. The Dixie Highway, from Martinsville to Paoli, would be added to the state road system two years later as SR 22. From Paoli to New Albany, it would be given the designation SR 42. SR 1 would become US 31 in 1926.

CRAWFORDSVILLE

The city of Crawfordsville was very happy with the decisions of the Dixie Highway routing commission. “The choosing of the route through Crawfordsville means more to the city and county than many realize.” Much is touted about the pending coming of “thousands of tourists,” feeding money into the community via the “merchants, hotel men, garage proprietors and others.”

GREENCASTLE

The Greencastle Banner reported that “Greencastle will not be on either of the Dixie highways.” “The routes go most any way and the finsh (sic) was not satisfactory and the finding may be changed later to one route. Greencastle is no nearer the route than Martinsville or Indianapolis as at present arranged.”

In the mid 1900’s, the New York Central chose a site where four townships (Center, Perry, Warren and Franklin) come together to create what would be the second largest industrial city then being built in the United States. The New York Central was building a very large shop facility in the name of their subsidiary, the Big Four. Over 100 years later, the shops are still working. Although the city of Beech Grove was built to be a railroad city, today it doesn’t depend on that industry to survive.

The central intersection of the new town would be along the township lines separating the four townships named above. First Avenue (now Emerson Avenue) is the dividing line east to west for these townships…Center to Warren, and Perry to Franklin. Albany Street (known as Troy Avenue throughout the rest of Marion County) forms the boundary between Center and Perry, and Warren and Franklin. The large shops themselves are actually in Warren and Franklin Townships.

The plan for the New York Central shop facilities were immense. 22 buildings were planned on the 600 acres purchased by the NYC. The total cost would be in the $3 to $5 million range. To the west of the new facility, the Beech Grove Improvement Company purchased 1,100 acres to create a town to support the new industry.

The official list of buildings planned, according to the Beech Grove Improvement Company, are listed in the following ad for the sale of lots.

When the plans were being laid for the future Beech Grove, Indianapolis was a major railroad hub. The Big Four, while named for bigger cities outside Indiana, basically had its center in Indianapolis. All of the railroads that were consolidated to create the Big Four did have Indianapolis in their name prior to the creation of the massive railroad company. They also owned 40% of the Indianapolis Belt Railway and Indianapolis Union Station. Being the central point of the company, it made sense to build large shops in the Indianapolis area.

The area had been a quiet farming community during the 19th Century known as Ingleston. The current name of the town, reportedly, came from a stand of old growth trees in the area. The first church in the area was built in 1837. The first school in 1868. The next station railroad east (southeast) of Ingleston was called Poplar Grove. Poplar Grove today is roughly the location of an Indianapolis Power & Light substation. The owner of a large cattle farm in the area, F. M. Churchman, convinced the railroad that traversed the area to build a shipping spur in the area. The station created took the name Beech Grove.

In 1906, the New York Central decided to create their facilities. It took four years to build the majority of the shops. At the time, they were advertised as the “greatest locomotive hospital in the world.” It would maintain this moniker until the coming of the diesel locomotives. Those engines were being serviced elsewhere. This led to a downturn in railroad employment in the town.

In 1975, the facility would be turned over to Amtrak, the United States’ passenger railroad. Some may question this decision, especially today, since Amtrak really hasn’t had a strong train presence in Indianapolis. But, due to its central location and proximity to Chicago, Beech Grove was seen as the perfect place for Amtrak’s major shops.