Reed Station on the B & B Branch near Ooliltic

[Pete Pedigo]

David Reed opened a Quarry at this location named The Bedford Quarry Company 1882 on the B & B Railroad (later MONON). The village of Reed Station was named after David Reed.  In 1890 David Reed obtained the contract to supply the stone for the "Auditorium, Chicago".  This quarry could not produce stone fast enough so David Reed bought the "Oolitic Stone Company" quarry at Sanders on the Monon Smithville mainline.
The Quarry at Reed Station in 1907 was named Norton-Reed along with a Mill name Reeds Mill. Both served by the Monon.

There was another Quarry at Reeds Station 1000' feet south named Goodall Cut Stone.  This quarry was served by the Bedford Belt Railroad utilizing a trestle over the top of the B&B at a 90 degree angle.  The track ran from what is now the main Indiana Limestone Mill at Oolitic due west 2000' feet, and over the trestle and directly into the quarry.  The attached photo was taken looking east at the large mill.  The girls are sitting on the trestle about midway over Goose Creek.  4 lane State Road 37 takes up this whole valley now and Reed Station would be buried under 40 feet of fill dirt.   There are still quarries on the hillside.    The the B & B (Monon) crossing is under the trestle behind the camera person.  Photo from D. Meno collection. 

[Ken Weller]

Here is a 1907 article about Reed Station (the Fire) and a 1913 picture (the Flood).  Apparently posted before somewhere/sometime but fun to look at again.  What are the building(s) above the village in the 1913 photo?  Limestone quarry?  Mill?

[George Lortz]

Ken,

Any idea if any of the buildings in the photo was to one used for the Monon depot?

George L.

[Pete Pedigo]

Ken and George,  the building on the hill is the Reed Mill and quarry operation on the B & B Switch. A man who has researched his family history back to Reed Station through letters and other sources of geneolgy put forth this drawing of the buldings at Reed Station.  He says Meno's store sold tickets for the train at one time.  Attached also is a map from a 1907 State Geologist Report.  The photo of the young woman shooting a rifle shows the boxcar was not next to the store in the 1930's.  Part of the B&B was removed in 1935 west of Avoca to Switz City so passenger traffic was probably  non existant at this time at Reeds Station.

Pete

[George Lortz]

Interesting little place.  That's a lot of rail for such a small town.

By the looks of some of the photos, a rough bunch of folks lived there!

George L.

[Robert Wheeler]

The last First Class Trains (#68 & 69) were on CIL TT#47 superceded 08/02/25.

Second Class Trains with the same schedule and number continued to operate until CIL TT#60 Superceded 11/22/31. In fact the schedule was the same starting  with TT#30 03/22/1914.

There were no notes in the timetables to the effect that the Second Class Trains (#68 & 69) would carry passengers as there were for Third  Class Trains (#41 &  42) between Borden & Orleans (Except Holidays).