An Historic Monon train station depot in Bedford has been destroyed over the weekend in a blaze. According to the Bedford Fire Department crews were dispatched to the Monon Station at 2:58 a.m.Sunday.
Due to the impact of the flames on scene firefighters enlisted help from other stations. The fire was extinguished around 9:30 a.m. However, the damage was described by the Bedford Fire Department as a “total loss.”
This is an active investigation.
In 2020, Bedford Monon Station was listed on Indiana Landmarks 10 most endangered places. Once a year, Indiana announces the 10 most endangered, a list of historic places on the brink of extinction and too important to lose.
Built of sturdy Indiana limestone in 1926, Bedford’s Monon Station on J Street signaled the area’s eminence as the primary supplier of the building material favored for monuments ,statues, churches, commercial, government, and other buildings nationwide.
Doubling as a passenger station for the Monon Railroad, the depot also served as a backdrop for students departing for and returning from college.
The Monon ended passenger service in 1967,the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and later CSX took over operations. Lawrence County officials adapted the building for use as a recycling center in 2006.
The aftermath photos were taken today. Monday 9-18-23 by Patty Parks.
