Photographer Carol Highsmith snapped this picture of the yellow-brick, red-tile-roofed Cincinnati, Richmond & Muncie train depot in 2016.
Built in 1901, the Cincinnati, Richmond, & Muncie Depot is a symbol of the key role of rail transportation in the area’s development. Before construction of the depot, there were two rail lines that ran through Muncie: the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine Railroad and the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. In the late 1880s, these rail lines brought wealth and industry to the Muncie area in the form of North Central Indiana’s natural gas deposits. Access to this easily attained fuel introduced new industries such as the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company and Indiana Iron Works. Despite the gas boom’s ending in 1905, Muncie retained industry due to its railroad access and switch to coal. As for the depot, it connected Muncie passengers to Cincinnati and Chicago on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway until 1949.
The CR&M Depot is the only surviving inactive passenger depot in Muncie. Designed by architect William S. Kaufman, the building shows off intricate woodwork, marble fixtures and Romanesque style. It currently serves as a headquarters for the Cardinal Greenway.
The plaques around this quarter-mile loop in Muncie’s Heekin Park commemorate “individuals through history that helped fight racism and discrimination...
This scenic covered bridge dates back to 1877. Fun fact: In 1913 a flood washed the bridge almost a mile downstream, but it survived in sufficiently...
In 1985, the film crew for the Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper hit “Hoosiers”—a film about Indiana’s long-standing love affair with basketball—stumbled...
The Great American Rail-Trail promises an all-new American experience. Through 12 states and the District of Columbia, the trail will directly serve nearly 50 million people within 50 miles of the route. Across the nation—and the world—only the limits of imagination will limit its use.
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