Dinwiddie, Indiana

November 2007

M.P. K 32.2/ K47.8 -Chicago & Wabash Valley/ CI&L Kersey Branch-

The Dinwiddie Supply Company and Elevator. This business was the second elevator on the end of the Chicago And Wabash Valley Railroad. Although not positive, this business would be where the Apple Valley Mobile Home Park is today.

Many of the pioneers in Southern Lake County, Indiana arrived during the years of 1835 and 1836. Among these hardy settlers was Thomas Dinwiddie, with his son John Wilson Dinwiddie and his daughter Susannah. Thomas' wife, Mary Ann Wilson Dinwiddie, followed later from Ohio. Their claim was at the eastern edge of Lake County, near Indian Town in the Hebron area. In 1836, while their cabin was being built they stayed near the Simeon Bryant family cabin. Today there is now a memorial stone to mark the spot.

Dinwiddie Station, located in Eagle Creek township on State Highway 2, just west of the now Interstate 65 interchange, was a stop on the Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad. Started about 1898 by Benjamin J. Gifford, the railroad was given a right-of-way thru the land of Oscar and Jerome Dinwiddie, and their sister Mrs. Frances Brownell. The three agreed to give the right-of-way free of charge if the depot would be called "Dinwiddie Station."

Dinwiddie Station at one time boasted a grain elevator, coal and lumber yard, and the home of Jerome Dinwiddie, Edward Dinwiddie, Edward and Martha Bryant, and Carl Brownell. The Brownell home is still there, and the Bryant house was moved to near the Plum Grove Cemetery. The Monon Railroad purchased the line from the Gifford Family in 1913 after Benjamin Gifford's death. The line was considered a branch and operated until abandonment in 1935. Today, very little evidence remains of this location. Some of the former right of way can still be seen south of State Road 2.

Construction on the Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad reached here in 1906. The tracks ended north of this location and there were two separate tracks, although they were rarely used. (Photos Above) Left: This picture was taken from State Road 2, about half a mile west of I-65, looking southeast. Today the area is thriving with the nearby I-65 interchange. Right: Close up view of the old right of way. This picture was taken from the driveway that is pictured in the image above. You are looking toward the southeast.

| Pictures Main | Locations Archives |

| Return To Index | Contact Us |