Carbon, Indiana
Written by Times Correspondent Mary Hoke
“Carbon was once a bustling city located six miles
north of Brazil in Van Buren Township. The Big Four Railroad ran east and
west through town. John H. THOMPSON was the depot agent for 15 years. With
not enough business to sustain it after that length of time and no trains
stopping, the landmark was torn down.
The town was incorporated five years after it was started in 1870 by the
Carbon Coal Company. A post office was established. Among the postmasters
were: F.F. WITTY, James H. THROOP, William HAYWOOD, Barney GALLAGER, Tom
ANDERSON, Tom BEESON, Ben BEESON, Jesse DOWEN, W.H. BRADSHAW, Chester
FIELDS and Stanley DOWNING.
The town’s newspaper, The Carbon Chronicle, was published by Mr. ZENOR.
Immigrants came from Australia, Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales to
contribute to the development of Clay County. There were three divisions
of the town, the west end was known as Irish Town, the business section as
Stump Town and south of the railroad as Austrian Town where the power
plant was located. It furnished lights for the town. There were miners,
farmers, merchants and teachers. The population of about 500 grew, and by
1900 there were about 2,000. Carbon, a prosperous town, had plenty of work
in the coalmines and clay plants, which has now been worked out.
The only Negro man who lived here was a barber named Charlie WHITE. Other
barbers in those days were Mel HENDRIX and Mat MARLON.
There were three churches, Baptist, Methodist and Catholic. Carbon Baptist
was built and dedicated in 1881. the Methodist was built in 1873 and was
destroyed by fire a couple of times. Stewart WEBSTER donated land to build
it on. In later years the Catholic Church moved its membership to Brazil.
Judge Marshall opened a bank for business early in 1905. The most
disastrous fire in Clay County’s history almost wiped Carbon out on March
25, 1905. On a windy Saturday sparks from a train fell on a shingle roof
of the saloon of Eurick BAULMAN starting the fire that spread rapidly from
one building to another with a loss of around $105,000.
Many businesses went up in smoke among them it was said were 13 saloons.
At one time there were an opera house, dwelling houses, butcher shops, an
undertaking establishment, service stations and Justice of the peace, Joe
BLOWER. Doctors were George PELL, two Dr. VAN SANDT'S , father and son,
and a Dr. LEWIS.
Two boarding houses were run by Mrs. GRAY and Mrs. MOONEY. A company block
of houses and a company store to accommodate the miners was here as was a
mule barn where they kept the mules used in the mines. The mules were
taken care of by Tom HAXTON.
In the town hall they kept the fire engine that has to be pulled from
place to place by the fire fighters. PELLS, A. WELLS and McINTYRES owned
butcher shops.
William CUMMINGS ran the Livery stable. Salesman or drummers as they were
called came here on the train, rented a horse and buggy and went to the
other towns nearby taking orders for their merchandise. They later
returned the rig and caught a train back to the city that night as at that
time there were no automobiles. Dr. PELL owned the first auto in Carbon.
When the mines were worked out, the clay plants destroyed by fire and no
work to be had, the men had to go elsewhere to find work. New State Road
59 bypassed Carbon which now is what you might call a ghost town with no
stores, no school, no doctors, nothing but memories left.”