#eleventhstreet

[railwayhistorical]

Outbound: Train 503

This was an image I’ve been meaning to re-shoot ever since the middle of January—I’d shot weekday train 107 in this location, but the day was quite dreary. Yesterday the sun was out, but there was an inordinate amount of rail enthusiasts in the frame.

This is train 503 as it moves eastward on Eleventh Street. That steeple belongs to the church of St. Paul Lutheran which is located over on Ninth Street.

Three images by Richard Koenig; taken February 26th 2022.

[rocketwerks]

Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia

1014 East Main Street Built, after 1865 Demolished, 1918

[RVCJ03]

Another building constructed in the aftermath of the Evacuation Fire, this was for the insurance company that moved.

[RVCJ03] — General offices

The city has five of these local companies, three fire and two life, all in highly prosperous and thrifty condition. The fire companies are the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, the Virginia Fire and Marine Insurance Company and the Virginia State Insurance Company. The life companies are the Life Insurance Company of Virginia and the South-Atlantic Life Insurance Company. From reports of the three fire companies named above, dated January 1, 1902, it appeared that they had then policies to a total of nearly $75,000,000, that their assets were nearly $3,000,000 and their annual income nearly $1,000,000. Up to that date they had paid in fire losses over $10,364,500. 

[RVCJ03] — E. A. Palmer, Principal Agent of the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia

For the home life companies the figures of that date were: Insurance in force almost $31,500,000 (a gain of more than $4,750,000 during the year), and total income of $1,261,000 in the year then just closed. These figures show a total business for the local companies, fire and life, of $2,171,000 in 1 901. The following statement shows the business of each of these companies separately: Mutual Assurance: Assets $1,627,142; annual income $ 107,868; amount insured $15,029,340. 

(LOC) — Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Richmond (1905) — Plate 7

Virginia Fire and Marine: Assets $886,293; annual income $526,697; amount insured $41,489,081. Virginia State Insurance Company: Assets $459,571; annual income $275,635; total amount insured $17,758,459. Life Insurance Company of Virginia : Annual income $1,195,319; insurance in force $29,845,450; gain for the year $4,163,348. South-Atlantic: Annual income $65,625; surplus $250,000 ; insurance in force $1,632,250; gain during year $649,000.

(Rocket Werks RVA Postcards) — original state of the Post Office building, née Customs House, showing the Mutual Assurance building next door

The Mutual Assurance Society of this city is interesting as one of the oldest, if not in fact the very oldest insurance corporation of the city. It was founded in 1794. Among others renowned, John Marshall, Bushrod  Washington, Edmund Randolph and Littleton Tazewell have served it as directors. The city was indebted to it for its first water supply, and first fire engine. Virtually beginning anew after the war, in 1865, it has accumulated handsome funds, out of which it is to build at Ninth and Main streets sometime next year the finest office building here.

December 2018

The behemoth that is the U. S. Post Office and Customs House (today the U. S. Court of Appeals) was built in 1858 and underwent three expansions in 1889, 1918, and 1930. As Mr. Engelhardt mentions, the Mutual Assurance Society moved up the street to 909 East Main Street in 1904, which left the original location exposed to the Post Office’s ravenous need for space.

(Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)

Sources

[RVCJ03] Richmond, Virginia: The City on the James: The Book of Its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests. G. W. Engelhardt. 1903.

[railwayhistorical]

Inbound: Train 506

My penultimate train for the day was number 506 inbound. You might be able to tell that I was drawn to the roller coaster area found on East Eleventh Street: this is one stretch that will really see some change when the line gets rebuilt over the next couple of years.

Three images by Richard Koenig; taken February 26th 2022.

[railwayhistorical]

Street Running

Here are a couple of shots of the Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad street running in Michigan City.

These two shots, of an eastbound were taken along Tenth and Eleventh Streets. The first is near Tenth and Hancock, while the second one is on Eleventh between Pine and Franklin Streets.

As per Trains Magazine, the railroad is planning to realign the railroad, meaning that this classic scene will disappear soon.

Two images by Richard Koenig; taken December 22nd 1976.

[railwayhistorical]

Outbound: Train 605

My final train of the day was  this one seen negotiating the “S” curve between Tenth and Eleventh Streets on the west side of Michigan City. This is another area that will change  greatly with the impending rebuild of the line: this wonderful little curvy patch will be flattened out and the diamond with the former Michigan Central/Monon will be moved to the south a bit.

The Chicago, South Shore & South Bend has been called “the last interurban” and this odd little bit of curvy track truly provides a direct connection to that history. Too bad it will be going way, but I can understand why.

Four images by Richard Koenig; taken February 26th 2022.

[railwayhistorical]

Street Running to End this Weekend

I was disappointed to read that street running in Michigan City, Indiana, will end this weekend (source). I thought the whole process of getting bids and the like would postpone this for a year or so. In any case, I’m off to shoot some trains there today—I want to document the street running that has existed there for a century.

The above image is one I made on my last trip to Michigan City—one image by Richard Koenig, taken January 14th 2021.

[railwayhistorical]

Final Weekend of Street Running

There was a festive atmosphere in Michigan City yesterday—the sun was out and folks showed up with cameras in hand to document the final weekend of revenue passenger service running on the streets. I will post all the trains I saw on Saturday after this post.

This is the first train movement I saw: it was unscheduled and so I was not really in position for a shot. In the going away view of this train, one can see to the right where the station used to stand—and a new one will be built. (The terra cotta facade of the original was saved and will be used somewhere in the new structure.)

Two images by Richard Koenig; taken February 26th 2021.

[railwayhistorical]

Outbound: Train 603

After taking a bit of a break, I would shoot three more scheduled trains in Michigan City this day—the first being train 603 moving eastward along Eleventh Street.

Once again we see the steeple of St. Paul Lutheran Church in the background, along with evidence of the cooling tower of the NIPSCO power plant on the waterfront.

Two images by Richard Koenig; taken February 26th 2022.