The Interurban Station in Martinsville, IND. was located at 110 N. Main Street.
Postcard courtesy of Tom Keesling, Hoosier Recollections.
The Indianapolis and Martinsville Rapid Transit Company was incorporated April 24, 1901. The City of Indianapolis Board of Public Works ratified an ordinance on August 14, 1902, authorizing the I&MRT Company to run its interurban cars on city streets. The I&MRT operated independently until 1907, between Indianapolis and Martinsville until it was leased, along with the Indianapolis & Northwestern Traction Company to the Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Company. The THI&E operated the railway, which ran along present day Kentucky Ave., until the line was abandoned in October 1930.
Postmarked: Martinsville, IND., SEP 15 – 1916, 8-30 AM
Postcard courtesy of Tom Keesling, Hoosier Recollections.
Message:
Edward
How are you to-night
I am feeling fine
This is a picture of the car I came from Indianapolis on
Daddy will be home next week
Do you think Bell will know me
Love to you & mama
Papa
Addressed to:
Master Edward Harper
3130 Woodsfield St
Pleasant Ridge
Cincinnati, Ohio
City of Indianapolis ordinance granting the Indianapolis and Martinsville Rapid Transit Company the right to run interurban cars on city streets.
Courtesy of 1904 edition of The General Ordinances of the City of Indianapolis
An interurban railway map from a 1925 Interstate Service Corp timetable.
Image courtesy of Hoosier Railroad Ghosts.
The arrow on this 1916 Sanborn Map shows the Martinsville THI & E Interurban Station.
(image: Indianapolis University Libraries)
This 1914 Sanborn Map shows the location of the downtown Indianapolis Traction Terminal that served as a stop on the Indianapolis-Martinsville Interurban line.
(image: Indiana University Libraries)
A penny for your thoughts …Â A remnant of the I&MRT railway can still be seen at the intersection of High School Road and Kentucky Avenue, south of the Indianapolis International Airport. The construction of Kentucky Ave (67) destroyed much of the interurban line, but a few of the railway’s crumbling stone abutments and culverts can be seen along High School Road.
A bridge from the abandoned railway can be seen looking north along High School Road near Kentucky Ave.
(Image courtesy: IndianaRailfan.net )
More on all things rail in Indiana on the site dedicated to Indiana Railways:Â Indiana.Railfan.net
Good job, Ashley—as usual!
For those who are interested in the interurban routes in Indiana, a map has been prepared with the routes overlaid on Google Map. This Martinsville route is included and viewers can zoom in to see the route close-up. The link is here.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=http:%2F%2Findianarailroads.org%2Fmaps%2Fdraftkml%2Fint_lines_032813.kml&hl=en&sll=41.385052,-86.963654&sspn=0.667671,1.447449&t=h&z=7
I don’t know who is responsible for this mapping, but they’re to be commended for doing this! It’s a great tool.
The whole interurban system deserves more publicity — especially at a time when the legislature is having trouble funding mass public transit.
The original station sat between Illinois and Capitol and trains and later buses pulled out on to West Market St. The tracks were still visible during the World War II days and one bus line was called Indiana Railroad.
Tom, that map would be my handiwork. Thanks!
FYI, here is the most recently updated map (zoomed and centered on the Martinsville depot): http://goo.gl/maps/cqVvp
I still have major gaps in the map of course (like nearly all of Indy’s streetcar lines and much of the Region), but I try to be accurate and precise for the lines that are shown.
To keep up to date on the mapping project, check this link every so often. I update it every few months: http://indianarailroads.org/board/index.php?topic=3674.0
Nice work, Nathan! I’ve used that map to help identify locations interurban scenes on early Indiana postcards. The map has been very helpful. In fact, I used the map this morning! I was trying to determine the location of the scene depicted in this postcard from Eaton.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/7218895914/
Thanks for the link to the updates forum, too!
I grew up at 3825 Arthington Blvd. Indianapolis We played all the time at the old Interurban stat at Arthington and 38th St. I understand while I was at Purdue some vandal burned down the structure. What is left ?
Aileen Mulcahy May San Juan Capistrano, CA
Are there any pictures of the station at 38th St and Arthington Blvd.? I lived on Arthington my whole childhood and played often in the abandoned station. Aileen Mulcahy May San Juan CA