Union City Indiana History
Five Railroads
The Dayton and Union railroad, coming from the east, reached its destination
Christmas day 1852, and was the very first railroad to reach this location in
the wilderness. A few days later, the Bee Line from Indianapolis reached the
state line from the west, and the two tracks were so joined that on January 24,
1853, the first through passenger train went from Dayton via Union (as Union City
was first called) to Indianapolis. The east part of the Bee Line coming from
Bellefontaine, reached here in perhaps July, 1853.
The Panhandle (now Pennsylvania road) from Columbus to the state line was finished
in 1856. The part from here to Logansport was begun and partially graded in 1854
under the name of Monroe and Mississinawa. It lay dormant until 1866 and was pushed
to completion in 1867 under the title of Union and Logansport.
With the completion of these five railroads, Union City became "the most important
railroad center in the state or even in the country." Railroad employees numbered
150 or more, and 16 passenger and 22 freight trains arrived and departed every 24
hours. The business transacted by the different roads was almost unbelievable.
James Whitcomb Riley wrote that Union City was that "fussy old-hen-of-a-town
forever clucking over its little brood of railroads, as though worried to see
them running over the line, and bristling with the importance of its charge."
In the winter and spring of 1850, immediately following the surveying and
platting, lots in the new town were offered for sale. Among other purchasers
was David Teeter, who in March or April, 1850, began to build on the southeast
corner of Oak and Howard streets. This was the first building erected in Union
City. Mr. Teeter, who had been in ill health, died in May, 1850, and the house
was sold to Benjamin Hawkins, who completed it. This was the well-known Star House.
Only two buildings were put up in 1851, but by 1852 there was real activity in
the new settlement. News of the railroads had filtered out through the country;
and people, realizing the opportunities of the location, began to arrive.
Due to some perversity of human nature, some of the new arrivals fancied a place about
half a mile east, where the railroad would cross the Deerfield road and where there had
been a settlement from probably as early as 1838. But Jeremiah Smith was a Hoosier and
he had no notion of allowing his infant town to stray over into Ohio. So in 1852, he
bought forty acres adjacent to the state line on the east and between the two settlements.
He held this tract unplanted and unimproved until 1870, at which time he felt the supremacy
of the west side was well established. Eventually the two settlements grew together.
The first hotel on the Indiana side was the Forest House, built July 2, 1852, and kept
by Mr. Miller. This building stood where the Grand Theatre is today and part of the
old hotel has been moved to 911 Pearl street, and is now Vernon's grocery.
