Viaduct aka The Tulip Tressle
The Viaduct
Greene County in Indiana has many fascinating landmarks. One of these attractions is the viaduct, which is also known as the Tulip Trestle. As large and impressive as the viaduct may be, the structure often goes unnoticed because of its remote location. The one day that the viaduct received the attention it deserved was on its centennial celebration on Sunday, October 15, 2006.
The viaduct is located in a rural area known as Richland Creek Valley in the eastern part of Greene County. The total price of the viaduct was $246,504 when it was built in 1906. This massive structure was built using mostly Italian immigrant laborers. The laborers were paid up to 30 cents an hour, which was considered to be an excellent wage in 1906. The viaduct was constructed by Indianapolis Southern Railway and secretly financed by Illinois Central Railroad.
The viaduct was built for train travel to transport coal from Greene County mines to large cities, such as Chicago. Passenger trains once traveled across the viaduct, but passenger service was discontinued in 1948.
The viaduct is now owned by The Indiana Rail Road Company. The viaduct has taken “a lot of beating” in the last one hundred years, but still to this day it appears to be as strong as the day is was built.
This information was used with permission from the Linton-Stockton School Corporation.
Pictures can be found in our photogallery.
