Bloomington freight station
railway station in Bloomington, the United States of America
The Bloomington freight station is a historic train station in downtown Bloomington, Indiana, United States. Constructed in the early twentieth century, it has endured closure and a series of modifications to survive to the present day, and it has been declared a historic site. Used only occasionally for many years, it is one of the most important buildings in a large historic district on the city's west side.
History
By the 1890s, the Monon Railroad was serving Bloomington and operating maintenance shops on the city's southern side. In 1902, desiring service from a second railroad, Bloomington and Perry Townships offered a large cash bonus to whichever company would add a second rail line in the city. Four years later, Illinois Central Railroad took up the offer, and upon finishing its route into the city, it decided to erect a station dedicated to freight traffic. Designed by the railroad's staff architects, it is a simple building without unneeded elements; its architecture was determined by the features that the railroad needed to operate a train station. From its earliest years, the depot played an important part in the development of Bloomington's heavy industries: many limestone mills and the large Showers Brothers furniture factory were located in its immediate vicinity.
At the time of construction, the depot was a simple rectangle, 163 feet (50 m) long and 35 feet (11 m) wide. It was greatly expanded in 1922 by the addition of a second story to much of the building.
The public source identifies “Bloomington freight station” as railway station in Bloomington, the United States of America. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bloomington, freight and station.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bloomington freight station”, the useful work is to connect “railway station in Bloomington, the United States of America” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q12060687. Authority coordinates are 39.169, -86.536. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1902 and 1922.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bloomington freight station”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bloomington freight station primary sources, Bloomington freight station archive and Bloomington research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bloomington freight station”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bloomington freight station” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.