Monon Memorial At Bloomington
October 2008 Update
2008 Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society Annual Meeting conducts "unofficial" dedication of the Memorial.
Saturday, October 4, 2008, members attending the 2008 Monon Railroad Historical-Techncial Society's 2008 Annual Meeting and Convention were witness to a dedication of the Bloomington Memorial, dedicated to all Monon Employees. There are plans for a formal dedication ceremony once the train is complete.
Left: Monon Society President and former Monon Railroad employee Frank Van Bree adresses the members present at the dedication ceremony. Right: MRHTS Director George Carpenter III removes the trap to unveil the memorial. -Jim Davis Photographs-
Director Carpenter unveils the Memorial
- Joseph Novosel Jr. Photographs -
Former Monon Employees in attendance, L-R, Richard Cantwell, Robert Wheeler, Fran Van Bree, Ron Marquardt and Rick Driestadt. -Jim Davis Photograph-
The City Of Bloomington has granted permission for the Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society, Inc. to erect a memorial on the site of the former passenger depot between 4th and 5th Streets in downtown Bloomington.
(Click on image to enlarge.)
The memorial will consist of a limestone slab with two bronze plaques. The memorial will be built at the edge of the "Rails To Trails" project. The trail will be a paved pathway from Rogers Street to 2nd Street. Park benches, landscaping and lighting will be provided by the City Of Bloomington and will be a fitting background for the memorial. The Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society, Inc. is the sole entity to be granted permission to erect a memorial or structure along the trail. The Members Of The Monon Memorial At Bloomington Committee have provided photos in in depth information about railroad structures, history and hardware to the City Of Bloomington.
The memorial that will be displayed.
To view a larger image of the memorial, click on the image above.
Update: The Monon Memorial Plaques have been cast and received. They are currently at the Limestone cutters in Bloomington, Indiana being fitted to the limestone slab. The memorial, or plaque, cannot be changed or altered. The Memorial will be placed where the Passenger Station stood in downtown Bloomington during the construction of the Greenway Trail Corridor on the old Monon Main line through Bloomington. That contract has not been awarded by INDOT yet, but completion is anticipated in late 2007. -Monon Memorial At Bloomington Committee-
The cross section of the memorial.
Donations can still be made in your name, or that of a specific individual or group. The donor name or groups will not be displayed on the memorial, but a suitable plaque with names of donors, or those honored by donations, will be maintained at the Linden World Headquarters of the Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society, Inc.
We need your help to make this project happen.
Please make a generous donation to the
Monon Memorial At Bloomington Fund
c/o George Carpenter III,
102 South Blue River Drive
Edinburgh , IN 46124
Please make checks and money orders payable to: Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society, Inc. and note Monon Memorial At Bloomington Fund on the memo section of your check, or on the money order please.
For donations using credit cards, please visit our on-line Company Store.
For donations of $100.00, or more, we have this nice premium for you.
This cross section of rail was cut from a rail dated 1887, the year the French Lick Branch was constructed on the Monon. The rail was found October 2004. It was being used as a guard rail for a crossing signal at 7th Street in Bloomington. The rail from which these pieces were cut is now on display at the Depot Museum in Salem, Indiana.
(Click to view larger image.)