Photograph by Tony Valainis
ABOUT HALF of Newfields’ 52-acre garden belongs to Oldfields, a National Historic Landmark estate with winding paths, peaceful nooks, and enchanting testaments to simpler times. An example of the latter is the bridge just beyond Tanner Orchard. Indiana had one of the earliest and most extensive interurban systems, or intercity electric railways, in the United States. Well before WWI, Indianapolis was connected to every other city in the state, except Evansville. Prior to electric lines, Hoosiers had to contend with steam trains, which operated much less frequently and traveled to fewer places.
Interurbans ran 10 to 12 trains per day between cities—and made all local stops, including country road crossings. (The roads Stop 10 and Stop 11 in southern Marion County hearken to this bygone era.) A round-trip fare was 30 cents. Folks commuted between downtown Indianapolis and the city’s sprouting suburbs, including Woodstock, where Oldfields was. It is presumed the estate’s staff were riders.
The Interurban Bridge spans the old rail line, long given back to nature and easily mistaken for a dried-up creek bed. If you stand on the bridge, face the canal, and look to your right, you can still spot the original stone platform the employees used. The combined forces of the rise of the automobile and the 1929 stock market crash were the end of the line, which ran its last train in 1930. This bridge is believed to be one of the final remnants of Indiana’s interurban system.
