Tunnelton, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tunnelton, Indiana
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Alfred H. Guthrie Mansion (1879) in Tunnelton
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 Tunnelton, Indiana
Location in Indiana
Tunnelton, Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Lawrence |
| Township | Guthrie |
| Elevation | 643 ft (196 m) |
| ZIP code |
47467
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| FIPS code | 18-76742 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2830455 |
Tunnelton is a small community located in Lawrence County, Indiana. It is known as a Census-designated place, which means it is a specific area identified for population counting. The town's name comes from the railroad tunnels nearby.
History of Tunnelton
Tunnelton was officially planned and mapped out in 1859. However, the area had a church even earlier. The Tunnelton United Methodist Church was started in 1816 by Thomas Milligan. He was the first minister in Lawrence County and served many areas in Southern Indiana. The church building itself was constructed much later, in 1891.
The first schoolhouse in Tunnelton was built in 1881. It was a large, two-story wooden building. Later, in 1910, a new brick school was built. This school taught both elementary and high school students. It was updated in 1929 and again later with modern features. The Tunnelton High School once had between 250 and 300 students. In 1957, a big, new gymnasium was added. Today, the school building is no longer in use.
The town's name, Tunnelton, honors the railroad tunnels that were recently finished when the town was planned. The Tunnelton post office opened in 1860. Alfred Guthrie was the first Postmaster, serving from 1860 to 1881. He also owned the town's general store and worked for the B&O railroad. The second Postmaster was M.D. "Doc" Guthrie, who served from 1881 to 1885. He was the town's doctor.
In 1882, an event known as the Tunnelton ambush occurred on February 10. During the 1880s, the town also had a tavern near the railroad tracks. An old, small brick building in town, now privately owned, was once used as part of the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people find freedom.
The Big Tunnel: A Railroad Landmark
The town's name comes from "The Big Tunnel." This tunnel is 1,731 feet long and was finished on April 15, 1857. This was just two years before Tunnelton was officially laid out. The tunnel was built for the Ohio and Mississippi Railway. Today, CSX Transportation controls it. In the past, other companies like the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad also used it.
In 1898, the tunnel was made shorter and lined with bricks to make it stronger. The next year, in 1899, a nearby 1,700-foot tunnel, called "The Little Tunnel," was changed into an open "cut." This means the land above it was removed, so trains now pass through an open trench instead of a tunnel. Locals often call the main tunnel "The Tunnelton Tunnel." However, CSX Transportation mainly knows it as "Ritner Tunnel."
