This advertisement is for the Madison, Indianapolis and Peru Railroad announcing the opening of the road for through freight and passengers and its association with the steamers, "David White" and "Alvin Adams" of the Lightning Line which was owned...
Railroad bridges; Railroads; Inclined railroads; People
This is a picture of the old Main Street Bridge on the west side of Madison, Indiana at the lower end of the incline. It seems to be a favorite perch for some of the townsfolk.
Here is a "Through Tariff" schedule. Just reading through the list of articles is interesting. Some that caught our eye are bonnets and band boxes; scythes stones (in oil or dry); shoe pegs; and firecrackers. The steamships "Alvin Adams" and "David...
Here is a list of rules for the transportation of hogs on the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. Notice in rule VIII, "Owners and Agents of hogs are earnestly entreated not to offer or give liquor to the hands of the Company, connected with the...
Churches; Church schools; Catholic churches; Costigan, Frances; Stone buildings
The Irish railroad workers, being a determined and resourceful lot, began to store the stone torn and blasted from the railroad cuts. It was hauled to the end of Third Street where it was piled and dressed and there the Irish began to build their...
Here the old depot bell is displayed on the Lanier home's lawn. It was just one resting place for the bell before it was given to the Jefferson County Historical Society where it now resides.
The newly built "Reuben Wells" sits at the Jeffersonville yards where she was built for the J M & I Railroad under the supervision and to the specifications of Master Mechanic, Reuben Wells, for whom she was named. Her boiler was tilted forward to...
The train on the railroad incline is being pushed by the "Reuben Wells" locomotive as it approaches North Madison at the top of the hill. Visible in the photograph is the roundhouse and the Godman and Phillips slaughterhouse.
Here is a view of a mixed railroad train with the locomotive "Reuben Wells" stopped on the Madison incline. This is just south of the first cut where the Crooked Creek viaduct passes underneath.
The locomotive "M.G. Bright" is shown here on the Madison incline. In the lower right hand corner you can see a boy. He is standing at the stone mile marker.
Railroads; John Brough; State parks & reserves; "Brough's Folly"
Here is a close-up of one of the abutments for a trestle for the project that was to by-pass the Madison incline. There are several sites within Clifty Falls State Park where traces of the old, abandoned project can be seen. For more information on...
The "J.T. Hatfield" is seen here at Madison, just past the Madison-Milton bridge. She was built as the "General Ashburn" but her name was changed in honor of James T. Hatfield when the Hatfield-Campbell Creek Coal Company bought her in 1945. She...
Water skiing; People; Rivers; Ohio River; Regattas; Steamboats
Onlookers watch as a daring young lady tries her hand at waterskiing on the Ohio River. This was probably an exhibition as the riverfront is crowded with people watching. Our best guess is that this took place during the Madison Regatta. The...
The "G.W. McBride" was built in 1916 at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania as the "Conqueror". The "Conqueror" was upset in a storm and sank. She was raised, rebuilt, and named the "G.W. McBride" by Captain Birch McBride. She was sold to the Ohio River...
Here's another view of the "G.W. McBride", gliding along near Madison, Indiana. There is more information and another view under the title "G.W. McBride".
The "America" was built in Jeffersonville from the hull and machinery of the old "Indiana" in 1917. She ran as a packet for several years and then was converted to an excursion boat. She burned at Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1930. The "America" is...
The excursion boat, "America" is docked at Madison loading up for a day at Rose Island (formerly Fern Grove). The occasion is the American Boy excursion of 1927 in which about 1,500 people participated. The boat was scheduled to return at 7:30 p.m....
The first courthouse was built in 1811. It was two stories and made of "buckeye logs." It was removed in 1823 and a brick structure built in its place. This old brick courthouse was octagon in form and the entire lower floor was fashioned as a...
