Who Passed the Gas? The 1895 Anderson, Indiana, Natural Gas Explosion

By A. W.

In Indiana there is a small city just northeast of Indianapolis with big history. This city is Anderson, Indiana. Anderson was incorporated in 1838 and as a city in 1865. On March 5, 1895 at around 3:20 a.m. the city of Anderson had an unfortunate natural gas explosion. The explosion caused a lot of damage and for many it was remembered for the rest of their lives. The gas explosion in 1895 was an event to remember in Anderson city history, but the history of Anderson does not start there.

The Indianapolis Fire of 1905

By H. J. W. 

In 1905, Indianapolis, Indiana was a booming place to be. Indianapolis was the state capital, and the largest and busiest city in Indiana. National Road 40 ran straight through Indianapolis and to the rest of the country. 1905 was before both World Wars took place and after Indiana had already been admitted as a state for nearly one hundred years. The railroad was still considered a vital form of transportation throughout the country. It was essential to industry because it was the main form of moving things from place to place, and I could be done in bulk. Seeing as the airplane was only invented in 1903 and still had major glitches to be solved before it was considered safe and able to fly numerous passengers and heavy cargo, the railroad was the most reliable form of transportation for goods and people. Union Station had one of the largest railroad networks in the country and helped Indianapolis blossom into a booming city. It was right near the Wholesale District, which made it super convenient for consumers commuting to the city to purchase different goods!

Indianapolis and the Great Fire of 1905

By Alex Keepes

Indianapolis, Indiana was just developing as a city in the mid nineteenth century. What is now known as the Crossroads of America with a population of over 835,000^[1], Indianapolis was once isolated from the rest of the state due to lack of travel route. With the development of the railway system in Indiana, Indianapolis became one of the most prominent cities in the Midwest. Even after a disastrous fire in 1905, the city prospered, and is still one of the most economically important cities in the United States to this day.

The Conundrum around Chestertown and the 1933 Exploding Plane

By C. S. F.

Plane accidents and crashes are embroiled within the history of aircraft. One airplane crash of US Airways Flight 1549, illustrates an example of this within the past five years. US Airways Flight 1549 was the plane that crashed into the Hudson River in New York. The pilot, Chesley B. Sullenberger, was able to navigate the aircraft into the river to save the lives of the passengers and crew onboard.[1] This crash garnered national attention and has been one of the most recent crashes to do so in recent history. In 1933, a plane crash happened that would accumulate national attention and the enigma it involved would lead to investigations as to why the plane had been destroyed. Various forms of government, organizations, and people involved would try to find out the answer to the riddle of the plane that exploded over Chestertown, Indiana.

1940: Terre Haute Explodes

By C. Collins

It was said “the flames shot more than one hundred feet into the air, lighting up the entire south section of the city.”[1] This was the scene of the Commercial Solvents Corporation as it burned on October 4, 1940 in Terre Haute, Indiana.