Schemes to connect Martinsville to Indianapolis via an electric railway date back to 1893, though success would not come until the Indianapolis and Martinsville Rapid Transit Company, incorporated in 1901. Construction was started in short time and by November the roadbed was graded as far as Mooresville. Hourly service as far as Mooresville began August 11, 1902.[1] The first car was run into Indianapolis on April 15, 1903,[2] with regular service beginning a few days later.[3] The downtown terminal was at Washington Street and Kentucky Avenue.[4]
In 1903, a survey was made for an extension to Bloomington; an entrance into the coal field through Paragon, Gosport, Spencer, Northington, Clinton, and Sullivan was also considered. The engineering difficulties which the area has always presented, together with the meager prospect for traffic, discouraged these extensions.[1]
In June 1905, a Boston-based syndicate headed by Stone and Webster, who were investors in the Terre Haute lines, bought capital stock in the company, obtaining the controlling vote. The entire stock was soon transferred to the Schoepf-McGowan syndicate and was thereafter held by the Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company. The line was then leased back to the THI&E starting in April 1907 under a term of 999 years.[1]
Service along the line was abandoned with several other THI&E routes on October 31, 1930.[5]
References
1 2 3 One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain:Blackburn, Glen A. (September 1924). "Interurban Railroads of Indiana". Indiana Magazine of History. Vol.XX, no.3. pp.258–260. Retrieved August 26, 2025– via Google Books.
↑ "Martinsville Line Open". The Indianapolis Journal. Indianapolis, Indiana. April 16, 1903. p.5. Retrieved August 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Cars to Martinsville". The Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. April 18, 1903. p.2. Retrieved August 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain :Blackburn, Glen A. (September 1924). "Interurban Railroads of Indiana". Indiana Magazine of History. Vol. XX, no. 3. pp. 258–260. Retrieved August 26, 2025– via Google Books.