I know I’ve said this before, but one of my favorite things to research and write about, as well as post on this blog, is anything to do with the old electric railways or interurbans. Electric railways usually did not last very long relatively speaking but had an important place in our transportation history. Shown in the photo is what used to be a retaining wall for the Winona Interurban Railway. It protected the railway from erosion or the land caving in, which can be understood when you look at the topography here. Of course the tracks for the interurban were below the retaining wall level with the road. The specific location is along State Road 19 in Miami County, just south of the Fulton County line. The farmhouse shown is also of historical significance as this family has owned the land for multiple generations. Although there may have been another retaining wall on the Winona line, I am not aware of another one surviving to this day. I’ve traced most of this line, pretty close to all of it actually, and have not seen anything of the sort except here in Miami County.
Concrete retaining wall in Miami County.
