Osgood, Indiana

The U.S. state of Indiana is a state located in the eastern region of the Midwest of the United States of America.  It is not a state that many people choose to spend their vacations in despite the fact that this state has so much to offer.  You have the Indianapolis 500, one of the largest sporting events in the United States of America that takes place in late May in the capital city of Indianapolis.  You have the University of Notre Dame in South Bend.  The state is known for basketball.  The state has many small towns.  One of these small towns is the town of Osgood.  Located in the southeast region in the state, it is a typical small town with a proud history.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  I love small towns.  Small towns in many ways helped built America.  There is one big problem.  What is the problem?  The problem is that this is not a railroad town.  Therefore, I will not make good on visiting this town.”

So you do not want to visit Osgood, Indiana because it is not a railroad town.  Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to learn the history of this town.

The town of Osgood, Indiana, is named after A. L. Osgood.  Who was A. L. Osgood?  He was a chief engineer.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  He must have designed some great structures so they named a town after him.”

A. L. Osgood was a chief engineer for the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad Company.  He was in charge of surveying and laying out the railroad beds for the railroad.  Why name this town after him?  The town owes its existence to the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad.  In 1857, the railroad was completed between Cincinnati, Ohio and East Saint Louis, Illinois.  A man named George W. Cochran began to lay out the town.  The town had a train depot, a freight house, an engine house where locomotives were serviced and maintained, a turntable used to turn locomotives around, stock pens, and a siding used as a waiting area for trains to wait on a single track for trains to go into the opposite direction making Osgood a center of transport in the area.  In 1899, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad took over the operations in the town.

Today, the freight, the depot, the engine shop, turntable, stock pens, and siding are gone.  Only the main line remains and is now owned by the Chessie Seaboard Transportation (CSX).  It is a very quiet town with U.S. Route 421 running north and south through the town.  During your visit, you may stop and glance around.