Tunnelton, Indiana, Level 4 Ghost Town and the Massacre of 1882
The town of Tunnelton, Indiana located in the southeastern corner of Lawrence County has a population of about 200 people….on a good day.
The town was platted in 1859 and named for the 2 nearby railroad tunnels. The “Big Tunnel” and the “Little Tunnel”. Only one tunnel still exists but will get to that in a minute.
When the town was first laid out in 1859 two hotels were constructed to accommodate the workers who were continuing construction on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. One hotel did burn down while the other hotel was eventually closed and turned into a private residence. I don’t know if the hotel turned residence still stands. If anyone out there knows, leave a comment below.
The first merchant in town was Alfred Guthrie who was reported to be the richest man in the county at that time. He operated a general merchandise store as well as the local post office. That first post office was established in 1860 and then in 1954 it was moved to its current location in this small one room building.
He also built a beautiful brick home during the Civil War which is laced in stone and still stands today.
There were two churches in Tunnelton. The Christian Church was established in the early 1900s but the church was destroyed in a massive fire in 1907. In 1912 a new brick church building was constructed and was in use up until 1945 when it was converted into a dwelling. The Methodist Church was built in 1891. However I don’t think it is in use anymore.
Asher Wilcox and his brother Thalus were successful in farming and cattle raising and in 1887 they moved to Tunnelton where they started a mercantile business. Their store also burned down in the fire of 1907 however in 1910 Mrs. Asher Wilcox erected a new brick store building which is now abandoned and will most likely fall down at some point in the future.
The first doctor in the community was Hugh L. Kimberlin.
Around 1901 telephone service was brought into the Fort Ritner and Tunnelton areas. After a few years of service the lines began to fall down and phone service was discontinued. Around 1925 a company was formed and incorporated under the Tunnelton Telephone Company. It lasted until 1929 and then discontinued once again. In April 1952 the Indiana Telephone Corporation re-established the service by installing an exchange in Tunnelton although I’m not sure where that was located.
A masonic lodge was organized in 1860 although I have no idea where that was located. If anyone watching this does know the location, let me know in the comments below.
In 1898 the K of P built a 2 story building. The upper story was used as a lodge room and the lower part was used by James Brooking and Henry Clark for a boot and shoe business. Once again, I don’t know where this building was located so if anyone watching this video knows the location, let me know in the comments below.
Over the years and up through the 1960s Tunnelton was a thriving community which included several grocery stores, a grist mill and a sawmill, several saloons, a post office, a blacksmith shop, two hotels, a newspaper, a drug store, a restaurant and a high school! Unfortunately, all of that is gone now.
In 1857, two years before the town was laid out, the Ohio and Mississippi Railway built a railroad line through the area and carved two tunnels out of the nearby hillsides. Hence when the town was established, it took the name “Tunnelton”.
The tunnels were rather crude and looked like large caves. In 1898 the larger tunnel known as the “Big Tunnel” was lined with brick most likely to limit the number of rocks facing out of the top of the tunnel onto the tracks below. In 1899 the “Little Tunnel” was daylighted. Basically the top half of the tunnel was removed and turned into a “cut”.
On November 13, 1907 a steam locomotive started a fire while passing through Tunnelton by igniting a nearby building with a hot ember from the smoke stack. The fire spread and destroyed the old packing house, a church, the K of P Hall, the high school, several business establishments and quite a few houses.
GPS Location: 38º46’04.6″N 86º20’38.0″W
