Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad was formed in 1866 as a merger between the Indianapolis and Madison Railroad and the Jeffersonville Railroad.
, south to the Ohio River
at Jeffersonville, Indiana
. The company was not organized until March 17, 1848, and on February 3, 1849, it was renamed the Jeffersonville Railroad.
The first section, from Jeffersonville to just north of Memphis
opened in 1850. The next year it leased the Knightstown and Shelbyville Railroad, starting to operate it in 1852. The line opened north to Columbus
August 1852, and on September 1, 1852, it began operating the Rushville and Shelbyville Railroad under lease.
Indiana's first railroad to actually be built was created on June 20, 1836, by act of the Indiana General Assembly as the state-owned Madison & Indianapolis Railroad. Construction began on September 16, 1836. After building only 27.8 miles (44.7 km) from Madison
to Queensville
(just northwest of North Vernon
in Jennings County
) by 1841, the railroad was transferred to private ownership on February 26, 1843, as the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad Company. This entity completed the remainder of the line from Queensville to Indianapolis, a distance of 57.99 miles (93.3 km), by 1847. Successful for more than a decade, the railroad went into decline and was sold at foreclosure in 1862, and renamed the Indianapolis & Madison Railroad (I&M). That company abandoned the M&I's 10.08 miles (16.2 km) of trackage between Columbus
and Edinburgh
in 1864 and began running over the Jeffersonville Railroad's nearby tracks.
Organized on April 30, 1866, for the purpose of uniting the two lines, the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company (JM&I) absorbed the Indianapolis & Madison the next day, with the Jeffersonville Railroad being officially merged in on June 1 of that same year, upon the filing of the Articles of Consolidation.
On May 22, 1868, the Reno Gang
held up the JM&I Railroad train at Marshfield, Scott County, Indiana
, and escaped with $90,000 cash described as being in "new notes." The money was never officially recovered and in today's value, represented more than $2 million.
Genealogy
- Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad
- Indianapolis and Madison Railroad 1866
- Madison and Indianapolis Railroad 1862
- Madison, Indianapolis & Lafayette Railroad 1843
- Madison and Indianapolis Railroad 1862
- Jeffersonville Railroad 1866
- Ohio and Indianapolis Railway 1849
- Knightstown & Shelbyville Railroad 1852 (abandoned 1868)
- Shelbyville Lateral Railroad 1851 (abandoned 1867)
- Shelby and Rush Railroad 1882
- Rushville and Shelbyville Railroad 1859
- Columbus and Shelby Railroad 1881
- Lake Erie and Louisville Railroad 1890
- Lake Erie and Pacific Railroad 1865
- Fremont, Lima & Union Railroad 1865
- The Fremont and Indiana Railroad 1861
- Indianapolis and Madison Railroad 1866
History
The Ohio and Indianapolis Railroad was chartered February 3, 1832, to build from IndianapolisIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, south to the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
at Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
. The company was not organized until March 17, 1848, and on February 3, 1849, it was renamed the Jeffersonville Railroad.
The first section, from Jeffersonville to just north of Memphis
Memphis, Indiana
Memphis is a census-designated place in Clark County, Indiana, United States. The population was 695 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Memphis is located at ....
opened in 1850. The next year it leased the Knightstown and Shelbyville Railroad, starting to operate it in 1852. The line opened north to Columbus
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...
August 1852, and on September 1, 1852, it began operating the Rushville and Shelbyville Railroad under lease.
Indiana's first railroad to actually be built was created on June 20, 1836, by act of the Indiana General Assembly as the state-owned Madison & Indianapolis Railroad. Construction began on September 16, 1836. After building only 27.8 miles (44.7 km) from Madison
Madison, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile . There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1 per square mile...
to Queensville
Queensville, Indiana
Queensville is an unincorporated town in Geneva Township, Jennings County, Indiana....
(just northwest of North Vernon
North Vernon, Indiana
North Vernon is a city in Jennings County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,728 at the 2010 census.-Geography:North Vernon is located at ....
in Jennings County
Jennings County, Indiana
Jennings County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 28,525. The county seat is Vernon.-History:...
) by 1841, the railroad was transferred to private ownership on February 26, 1843, as the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad Company. This entity completed the remainder of the line from Queensville to Indianapolis, a distance of 57.99 miles (93.3 km), by 1847. Successful for more than a decade, the railroad went into decline and was sold at foreclosure in 1862, and renamed the Indianapolis & Madison Railroad (I&M). That company abandoned the M&I's 10.08 miles (16.2 km) of trackage between Columbus
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Indiana
Edinburgh is a town in Bartholomew, Johnson, and Shelby Counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,480 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbus, Indiana metropolitan statistical area. Edinburgh was named in honor of Edinburgh, Scotland and for many years was pronounced the...
in 1864 and began running over the Jeffersonville Railroad's nearby tracks.
Organized on April 30, 1866, for the purpose of uniting the two lines, the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company (JM&I) absorbed the Indianapolis & Madison the next day, with the Jeffersonville Railroad being officially merged in on June 1 of that same year, upon the filing of the Articles of Consolidation.
On May 22, 1868, the Reno Gang
Reno Gang
The Reno Brothers Gang, also known as the Reno Gang and The Jackson Thieves, were a group of criminals that operated in the Midwestern United States during and just after the American Civil War. Though short-lived, they carried out the first three peacetime train robberies in U.S. history...
held up the JM&I Railroad train at Marshfield, Scott County, Indiana
Marshfield, Scott County, Indiana
Marshfield is a ghost town in Vienna Township, Scott County, Indiana, United States, about three miles northwest of Scottsburg. Marshfield functioned as a water stop on the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad....
, and escaped with $90,000 cash described as being in "new notes." The money was never officially recovered and in today's value, represented more than $2 million.