History; County government; Pioneers; Families; Farm life; Farming;
Mr. McCormick describes his work as an "An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with an Extended Survey of Modern Developments in the Reclamation of Lands and the Progress of Town and Country".
This is the "M.G. Bright", the original no. "634". She was companion to the "Reuben Wells" and worked the incline until 1895 when she was replaced by the new coal burner. The "M.G. Bright" was equipped with two sets of cylinders. The first set was...
Railroad employees are posed with the "Reuben Wells." It was originally given the number 35, but was later changed to No. 365, and was specifically built for the JM and I Railroad for use on the incline at Madison, Indiana. It went into service...
The Madison incline seemed to be a favored spot for hiking. Folks knew the train schedule and usually took advantage of periods when there would be no rail traffic. There was no scheduled run on Sunday, so perhaps this is a social event on a...
Monroe County (Ind.) -- History; Hunter, David Eckley (1834 - 1892); Education -- Indiana -- Monroe County; Teachers -- Indiana -- Monroe County
Personal Diary of D.E. Hunter. Provides a daily record of his life as a teacher in Ellettsville. Included is his trial and acquittal for the excessive whipping of two students.
Louisville Cement Company (Speed, Ind.); The Speedometer (Louisville Cement Company employee newsletter); The Speed Way (Louisville Cement Company employee newsletter); The Warning Star (Louisville Cement Company employee newsletter); Louisville...
The Speedometer was a monthly or sometimes bi-weekly newsletter of the Louisville Cement Company in Speed, Indiana. The newsletter was focused on safety issues at the plant but also included human interest stories. The Speedometer began publication...
Railroads; Inclined railroads; Public utility companies; IKE
This picture shows a diesel descending the Madison Incline in 1992. This was when the IKE (Indiana-Kentucky Electric Company) plant on the river was using the line to transport heavy machinery.
This is a drawing of an engine similar to the one used on the Madison Railroad in its early years. Built by the Baldwin Company of Pennsylvania, the inscription for the picture reads: "The hill-climbing locomotive built by Andrew Cathcart in 1840...
Railroads; Railroad tracks; Public utility companies; Inclined railroads; IKE
In the early 1990s the Indiana-Kentucky Electrical Company (IKE) refurbished the tracks to enable it to haul heavy cargo down the hill to its plant on the Ohio River. This is a picture of a large transformer being taken down the incline. This was...
W.F. Guthrie reported, "In 1862 they had a cog track laid between the rails on the inclined place and a wheel fitting in the cogs to draw the cars up and let them down again. Sometimes they would break loose and come flying down the hill and...
This picture gives you an idea of the scope of the incline. In the early days of the railroad, engines were not strong enough or heavy enough to adhere to the tracks. The only means of pulling the train up the incline was horse power. On March 6,...
The Madison Courier interviewed W.F. Guthrie, an old gentleman who had seen the railroad from an early time. He stated, "After a shower of rain the wheels would slip on the rail and the brakes would not have the desired effect. It was said of a...
Inclined railroads; Reservoirs; Hanging Rock Hill, Indiana; Madison; Railroads
Here is a view of the incline that includes the old Madison, Indiana reservoir at the lower part of the picture and Hanging Rock Hill (now State Road 7) in the upper right corner. Notice in the picture the hills have very few trees. They had been...
Inclined railroads; Railroad cuts; Public utility companies; IKE; Madison; Railroads
The incline is once again cleaned up and ready for business. This clean up was done to enable the Indiana-Kentucky Electric (IKE) plant to use the tracks for moving heavy equipment to its site on the river front.
