FREDERICKTOWN — My recent columns about the Fredericktown train derailment in 1912 prompted long time reader Aaron James to delve into his collection of local images, where he turned up some interesting shots of the area in question.
Two shots are postcards from around the same period as the real photo postcard of the trainwreck, only these are offset printed. They further expand our view of the area from the period, plus one shows that there was a siding there as well, near the intersection with Mill Street.
Another image shows the original bridge over the Kokosing. It was under this structure that photographer L. D. Shipley stood in 1912 to get his photograph which was printed on the postcard of the trainwreck.
Aaron also shared a great shot, taken up on the bluff, near Ritchie’s Market, during the 1952 flood. It looks north from the bluff, showing the area where the Kokosing had spilled its banks.
In the distance, you can see the gravel pit. Looking closely at the railroad crossing in the foreground, one can also see that the railroad track siding visible in the earlier offset printed postcard has been removed, and the entire track has been shifted to the center of the grade.
Perhaps this was done after the 1912 derailment very nearly dumped boxcars into the creek.
Many thanks to Aaron for sharing his excellent collection of images. It’s snapshots of the past like these that bring the history of a place to life.
