Elbert - Shelby County

SHELBYVILLE PLATT MAP 1914. This map provides a very detailed look at the size and layout of the city. It also includes areas such as Glenwood Cemetery that were not in the city limits at the time. Most of these additions to the city limits are labeled. The only time most people find out if they live in an addition to the city is during legal transactions. South Vine Street was the dividing line between Moulton (Citizens Addition) and Shelbyville. South First and Second Streets do not go across Vine to the other side because this was the north part of Moulton, the zone where the two towns meshed together, and it was not a perfect fit. Cemeteries mark the edges of the city. As the city grows, a cemeterylike Glenwood Cemeterywill mark the former edges of the city.

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT. In 1906 the voters of Shelby County approved the building of a monument. The Shelby County Board appropriated $10,000 for the monument. Designed by Robert Root, 6-foot-tall statues made of Barre Vermont granite were placed on the corners of the monument. They represent the U.S. Infantry, Navy, Cavalry, and Artillery. A 12-foot-high, bronze statue of a color-bearer and flag rests on top of the monument.

EARLY BRUSTER HILL. This photograph was taken prior to the macadamizing that began in 1882. The narrow, winding dirt road led down to a wooden bridge that was built over the Kaskaskiswatikaa River. In 1881, an iron bridge was built. Bruster Hill got its name from John Bruster who ran a tanning yard at the top of the hill.

TWO WINTER VIEWS. In the top photograph, the Shelbyville, New York Central Depot with switches can be seen. A horse and buggy dates this photograph in the late 1800s. This depot was originally located in the town of Moulton when it was built. The following companies operated the railroad: Terre Haute, Alton and St. Louis, the CCC (Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Chicago), and St. Louis (The Big Four), the New York Central, and the Penn Central. The bottom photograph shows the C&EI Depot at the east edge of the city. The cylindrical water tower was in place before 1915. The courthouse does not have a clock yet. The Catholic church and the Lincoln Hotel are in the background as well.

C&EI DEPOT. This depot was at the east edge of downtown Shelbyville. It was built in 1892 at a cost of $4,000 after the railroad reached Shelbyville in 1891. John Tackett owned the land north of Shelbyville that the railroad crossed. A railroad crossing was called Tacketts Crossing in his honor. Today that crossing is where Country Club Road crosses the tracks northeast of Shelbyville.

LINCOLN HOTEL. In 1856 Benjamin Tallman built a new hotel on the square. It became a favorite landmark because Abraham Lincoln slept in the corner room on the second floor. This was during his circuit riding days. The hotel had many names, but it was called Lincoln in 1915. It was torn down in February 1930, and Morgan Quigley sold the lot to the Lincoln Oil Refining Company.