Earliest Railroad

Earliest Railroad (HMB3J)

Location: Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Allen County
Buy Indiana State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 41° 5.163', W 85° 8.284'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 700 views
Inscription
The Wabash & Erie Canal was instrumental in the construction of the first railways in Fort Wayne, which quickly became a railroading center in the Midwest. In 1852, along the canal at the present-day railroad elevation that borders the south edge of Headwaters Park at Lafayette Street, the first locomotive was unloaded from a canal boat. The locomotive was placed on tracks that were laid on Lafayette Street and led to the south side of town where the main line of the new Ohio and Indiana Railroad was due to be built. Later, this became the Pennsylvania Railroad system for which Fort Wayne was a major hub. When railroad competition reduced the effectiveness of the canal, surveys for a rail line extended north of Fort Wayne. However, in 1881, officials of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, known commonly as "The Nickel Plate Road", purchased the Wabash & Erie Canal right-of-way through central Fort Wayne. It became possible for the company to build a railroad through a Midwestern city, passing less than two blocks from the courthouse, without having to raze one building. The railroad elevation, completed in 1955, allowed the north side of the city to develop and grow rapidly. Today, the railroad elevation is a landmark structure between the downtown portion of Fort Wayne and Headwaters Park.
Details
HM NumberHMB3J
Tags
Placed ByCity of Fort Wayne and Glenbrook Square and Commons
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 5th, 2014 at 2:32pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 656391 N 4549979
Decimal Degrees41.08605000, -85.13806667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 5.163', W 85° 8.284'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 5' 9.78" N, 85° 8' 17.04" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)260
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 211 Barr St, Fort Wayne IN 46802, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?