Nomination for Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-0018 (Oct. 1990) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service MAR 2 3 1995 National Register of Historic Places 1. Name of Property Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower other names/site number 2. Location 501 East Main Street street & number city or town - OH county state - 3. State/Federal Agency Certification X meets does not meet the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant Dept. Head Ohio Historic Preservation Office -- OHSHPO State of Federal agency and bureau Signature of certifying official/Title 4. National Park Service Certification Date of Action M entered in the National Register. - See continuation sheet. - determined not eligible for the - removed from the National - other.

(explain:) Bradford Date comments.) Miami RECEIVED Ohio National Register N not for publication Registration Form Register. 3-17-95 In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria.( See continuation sheet for additional Entered in the historic name NZAvicinity This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination -request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of - nationally - statewide & locally.

(L See continuation sheet for additional comments.) I hereby/certify that the property is: 497 Bradford Tower Miami, Ohio Name of Property County and State 5. Classification Ownership of Property Number of Resources within Property Do not include previously listed resources in the count. X private E building(s) - public-local - district _ sites E object _ structures - Total Name of related multiple property listing 6. Function or Use WORK IN PROGRESS 7.

Description Architectural Classification Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) Noncontributing Brick foundation Concrete roof walls TRANSPORTATION/rail-related Slate other Materials Wood Current Functions Narrative Description Historic Functions in the National Register Number of contributing resources previously listed (Enter categories from instructions) Category of Property other: Railroad Tower RECEIVED 4 MAR 2 3 1995 INTERAGENCY RESOURCES DIVISION Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower, Bradford, OH Architectural Description The nominated property is a two story railroad interlocking (switch- added to the structure at an unknown time. (Photos 1, 2, 3) lintels. The following window dimensions are described by the size of their north elevation.

On the east facade a 84" x 40" door is accessed by four windows in a 71" x 60" opening on the first floor and a cluster of three two 60" x 31" openings on the first floor and two 76" x 50" openings on the Both floors are constructed of reinforced concrete (6) and are delin- eated outside by a belt of brick soldier coursing. The first floor shows outside at a water table 40" from the grade line. An offset rowlock course shows outside above the second floor system. Wood lathe and plaster make up overhangs enclosed with tongue and groove board (Photo 7). One unusual feature of the Bradford tower in relation to other rail- road towers is the interior stairwell (Photo 4). Most towers had a steel or wood staircase mounted on the exterior of the building to access the second floor. The steps in the nominated structure have a steel pan construction (Photo 5) .

Function and Present Condition and leaving Bradford, Ohio. It housed telephone, telegraph, switch, signal On the first floor an electric panel with knife switches and trans- former has been left intact (Photo 18). Glass batteries that supplied power to signal and radio equipment in the tower rest on a shelf below the panel. Steel lockers used by railroad crews also remain in the building (Photo 20) . Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places second floor. window and door openings there is brick soldier coursing supported on steel NATIONAL PARK SERVICE United States Department ot the Interior concrete steps.There is one 6o"x31"opening on the first floor and two Section number _ alternating headers and stretchers in each course. The base of the building Windows are vintage wood frame and have rowlock brick sills. Above all masonry openings.

There is one 76" x 50" second story window opening on the windows on the second floor in a 107" x 50" opening. The west elevation has Bradford Tower served as a control center for rail traffic entering and radio equipment. Some original artifacts were found in the building. 24" windows on the north side of the building. A brick chimney has been 76" x 50" openings on the second floor. On the south facade there are two the second floor ceiling. The interior walls on both floors are finished with slurry plaster. The roof is hip and has a wood rafter framing system.

Page It has slate shingles and copper flashing.The gutters are boxed in 30" United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Continuation Sheet Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower, Bradford, OH The second floor provided an office where the tower operator could moved a series of mechanisms which ran through the building and outside the west wall help support these mechanisms (Photo 17). Suspended from the ceiling above the levers was a lighted panel with track diagram showing train movement within the tower's jurisdiction. Both the light panel and the are now housed in a private collection near Bradford. From its abandonment in 1985 to the time it was acquired in 1986 the Although this left the interior exposed to the weather, the inside suffered especially to the overhang and enclosed eaves. A minor leak on the west side of the roof has recently been patched.

Four first story window sashes which had deteriorated beyond repair were replaced in 1990. No other significant concrete whistle post (ca. 1920), located immediately west of the tower. National Register of Historic Places Section number 7 along the tracks 13-16).Two steel I-beams which span the east and view passing trains (Photos 9-i1).Behind the operator's desk 8)was Page _ 2 is shown (Photo 12). These long steel handles (dubbed strongarm levers) building was left open. Several window panes were broken during this time. repairs have been made to the structure. The nominated property includes a no major damage. There has been some water damage to the roof system, Bradtord Tower Miami, Ohio County and State 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria Areas of Significance Enter categories from instructions for National Register listing.) IX A Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of - B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. X C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack Period of Significance - D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) -A owned by a religious institution or used for Significant Person - B removed from its original location. (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) - C a birthplace or grave.

- D a cemetery. - E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. - F a commemorative property. - G less than 50years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. Pennsylvania Railroad Narrative Statement of Significance 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 E State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency - previously determined eligible by the National - Local government - designated a National Historic Landmark - recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey - recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # 1918-1944 TRANSPORTATION Bibilography Register Property is: ARCHITECTURE our history. Previous documentation on file (NPs): N/ A Significant Dates Criteria Considerations individual distinction. religious purposes.

Cultural Affiliation Architect/Builder Name of repository: Name of Property - University Other Miami, Ohio County and State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) - See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description Boundary Justification 11. Form Prepared By James B. Subler organization _ - date _ November 4, 1994 street & number 514 Michigan Avenue - state Ohio Submit the following items with the completed form: Representative black and white photographs of the property. (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of SHPO or FPO.) Theodore I.

Finnarn street & number 211 South Broadway 45331 Troy Greenville Zone name Maps Photographs Easting Northing Ohio Additional Documentation Additional items Continuation Sheets city or town UTM References name/title (Describe the boundaries of the property ona continuation sheet.) .321 (less than one) (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) _ telephone_(513) 339-7950 nstructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspec of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division,National Park Service, P.O. Box37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of - zip code A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources.

Name ofProperty United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower, Bradford, OH The Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower is significant under criteri- nation's railroads. The Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower is additionally significant under criterion C as a rare surviving building type once widely employed in the nation's manually operated rail traffic control system. Today it is the sole remaining railroad structure in this once thriving rail Railroad consisted of two classification yards, a large roundhouse, a YMCA Rest House and several other important railroad-related structures, includ- ing a modern masonry interlocking tower.

Most of Bradford's rail operation facilities, including the new tower (1918), were built or upgraded during the aegis of the United States Railroad Administration, which had been formed by the federal government to coordinate the nation's increased demand tion, " which lasted from December 1917 to March 1920. Manually operated railroad towers, or interlocking plans, were once an integral part of rail traffic control in the United States. At one time Today very few manually controlled interlocking plants remain in Ohio. The other tower is located in Union City on the Ohio-Indiana state line. At least thirty towers once stood within an eleven county region of West West Central Ohio. Bradford, the community in which the tower is located, was founded upon and solely influenced by one industry--the railroad.

After the arrival little more than a railroad timbering camp located in the middle of a dense forest. With the establishment of a junction with the Richmond & Covington Railroad in 1862, this site became an important location. The Village of 1900s the town was well on its way to becoming a major rail crossroads of community.

Historical Background Continuation Sheet aegis of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St.Louis Railway, so did the town, twenty years, with the integration of centralized automated systems, Section number _ on A for its historical association with a regionally important railroad transshipment center and junction, and also as it exemplifies the extensive infrastructural improvements made by the United States Railroad Administra- At its peak in 1920, Bradford Junction, strategically located halfway Bradford Junction operations of the Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania controlled most of the nation's railroads during the period of "federaliza- several hundred of these structures were located in Ohio. But in the past manually operated towers have become obsolete and have rapidly disappeared. Bradford Junction is one of only two surviving towers in West Central Ohio.

of the Columbus, Piqua and Indiana Railroad in 1855, Bradford evolved from Bradford grew from this small settlement. As the railroad expanded under the and Bradford's importance as a rail center soon became evident. By the early main east-west lines, was a major transfer point and repair center. The for rail traffic during World War I. This special war-time emergency agency Page the Midwest. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower, Bradford, OH cars. Prominent facilities in the terminal included a 500 ton capacity coaling tower, a power plant, car repair shops, a passenger station, and a schools, and numerous dining and lodging facilities provided for railroad Life in the town revolved around the railroad and the community was mostly respect a railroad town.

was closed in 1929 and by 1931 only 11 people were employed in the terminal complex. The Great Depression marked the end of the railroad boom in Bradford but not the end of rail service to the town. Facilities such as the During World War II some activity returned to the terminal but the town never regained its previous status. By 1950 the roundhouse was abandoned, the coal dock in 1962. and the Bradford Junction tower. The tower was closed in 1983. In 1985 the last rails were pulled, ending one hundred thirty years of continuous rail service. Today in Bradford, a restored Pennsylvania Railroad caboose and a historical marker, located on the grounds where the YMCA once stood, commemorate the town's railroad heritage. An early railroad hotel has been restored and is now a private residence. Continuation Sheet populated by railroad workers and their families.

Bradford was in every National Register of Historic Places coaling tower and a local yard remained in service for a number of years. Bradford reached its peak of prosperity foilowing an expansion ofthe were five yards having a total capacity of more than three thousand rail Railroad YMCA which was considered to be one of the largest in the nation. railroad management, sent Bradford into a serious depression. The terminal two years later the powerhouse was demolished followed by the dynamiting of Page Section number 8 United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Bibliography Section number - 9 Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower, Bradford, Miami County, Ohio Page Cam-tech Publishing Trostel, Scott D. "Bradford the Railroad Town". 1987.

Fletcher, Ohio: United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Verbal Boundary Description The boundary of the nominated property is shown as the yellow line on the Boundary Justification The boundary includes the entire city lot that has historically been assoc- Page iated with the property. Continuation Sheet Section number _10 accompanying tax map. United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Continuation Sheet Section number Fhotographs Page _ The following information is the same for all photographs: Bradford Junction Interlocking Tower 1. tower, looking west 2. tower, looking southwest 3. tower, looking northeast 4. stairway 5. steel pan construction (steps) 6. concrete floor 7. enclosed eaves 8. operator's desk 9. looking west from tower 10. looking south from tower 12. switching lever "pit" 13-16.

switching mechanisms steel I-beams 18. electric panel with glass batteries 19. steel lockers National Register of Historic Places Bradford, Miami County, Ohio Photographs by James B. Subler, 1994 13-16. Negatives in J.

Subler's possession NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET DATE OF 16TH DAY: 4/20/95 DATE DATE OF 45TH DAY: NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N REQUEST: N COMMENT WAIVER: N ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: TELEPHONE DATE MULTIPLE REJECT DISCIPLINE RETURN National Register ACCEPT REVIEWER 5/07/95 3/23/95 RECOM./CRITERIA OTHER: PDIL: Entered in the SAMPLE: DATE RECEIVED: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NAME : DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N FPS 94 01205 Miami Co., OH Bradford Tower Bradford Tower MiamiCo., OH FPS 94 01105 Bradford Tower Miami Co., OH FPS 94 02705 NNNBA Miami Co.)OH Bradford Tower FPS 94 06105 NNNAR Bradford ,Tower Miami co., OH FPS 94 02705 NNNAA Bradford Tower Miami Co., OH Brad ford Tower Miami Co., OH FPS 94 06105 NNNBA Bradford Tower Miami Co., OH FPS 94 01105 Brad ford Tower NNNAA Bradford Tower Miami Co., OH FPS 94 01105 11 of 19 NNNAA Miami Co., OH Bradford Tower Miami co., OH FPS 94 06185 NNN1A Miami Co.

, OH Bradford Tower FPS 94 02705 Bradford Tower Miami Co., OH FPS 94 01105 Bradford Tower Miami Co., OH FPS 94 01205 Miami Co.JOH FPS 94 06105 NNNAA Miami co., OH FPS 94 02705 NNNBA Bradford Tower Miami Co., OH Bradford Tower FPS 94 01205 UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY *Miamico., OH DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES STATE OF OHIO N4007.5 - W8422.5/7.5 VERSAILLES, OHIO RECORD OF LOT SURVEYS Miami Co., OH MAIN STREET 45 R/w LOT No.14 LAND SURVEYOR TROY, OHIO JOB NO. 354 353 PAGE 188.20 352 REFERENCE: CIVIL ENGINEER COZATT ENGINEERING COMPANY LEGEND: Bradford Tawer VACATED MAIN STREET 1OO8 GRANT STREET TAX MAP MARKET ST. 24.75'RW - TRACKS LOT.

393 370 VOLUME 368 105.22 MIAMI COUNTY ENGINEERS EWESTBOUND WiLLiAMS 365 Ohio Historic Preservation Office Ohio Historical Center 1982 Velma Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43211-2497 Fax: 297-2546 March 20, 1995 SINCE 1885 RECEIVED 413 Ms. Carol Shull, Chief of Registration National Register of Historic Places P. O. Box 37127 MAR 2 3 1995 INTERAGENCY RESOURCES DIVISION Enclosed please find nine (9) new National register nominations. All appropriate notification procedures have been followed for these new submissions. NEW SUBMISSION Sollars Farmstead Groveport United Methodist Telephone Co. Bldg. Bradford Junction George E. Cook House Frank H.

Mason House Frank Mason Raymond House Please note that the following submission includes a letter of objection from the Pennsylvania Railway Ore Dock Hamilton COUNTY Cuyahoga SOCIETY Madison 614/297-2470 Summit Franklin OHIO Miami HISTORICAL Stark Church Price Corners Interlocking Tower property owner.We are requesting a determination of eligibility for this submission. Dear Ms. Shull: Cincinnati and Suburban Washington, D. C. 20013-7127 Fayette NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Shull, March 20, 1995, page 2 If you have questions or comments about these documents, please contact this office. W. Ray Luce State Historic Preservation Officer Sincerely, enclosures 145 N.

Miami Avenue Bradford, Ohio 45308 South West Regional Office Dayton, OH 45435 RE: Brick Switching Station Tower Located - Bradford, OH Being a resident of Bradford all my life and seeing the to the railroad over the years, I am proud to see that Sincerely, 448-2590 Bradford Insurance Service, Inc. Wright State University I am writing in support of having the above building time to preserve this building. GALEN R. HACKETT INSURANCE Dept. of History Ohio Historic Preservation disappearance of most all buildings in Bradford related included on the Ohio Historical Preservation listing. Jim Subler has taken an interest and spent his personal history as well as informative in the future to our Glenn A. Harper The building can remain as a reminder of our towns' past children, grandchildren and all future generations. Galen R. Hackett, Pres. Bradford Ins. Service, 514 Michigan Ave.

December 10, 1992 Mr. Glenn A. Harper Ohio Historic Preservation Office Department of History Wright State University Dayton, OH 45435 Dear Mr. Harper, 501 East Main Street, Bradford, Ohio. I am also forwarding to your office several letters from other individuals who support the nomination of the property to the National Register. Railroad towers, or interlockings, were once an integral part of the regarding liability, railroad companies are reluctant to sell buildings from the property. Consequently, many years of railroad history have been lost to the bulldozer. Miami County area where dozens of towers once stood. On a larger scale, the restoration project in Bradford is one of the only projects of its type in It is unfortunate that the railroad is gone in Bradford, but this allows us removed --the tower represents a very unusual case.

The second and most notable aspect of the property's historical value lies within the community in which it is located. Bradford has a population of less than three thousand and is thirty-five miles from the nearest major city (Dayton). The railroad was the industry upon which Bradford was founded. Jim Subler Troy, OH 45373 Please find enclosed a number of recent and historical photographs of The structure is a two story brick, railroad interlocking tower, located at and are rapidly disappearing. Today, very few manually controlled inter- lockings remain in Ohio. Most, if not all of these facilities will be closed and demolished within the next ten years. One insurmountable obstacle may located on active rail lines without requiring that the structure be moved in the state and in the U.S., however most involve relocation of the structure.

the rare opportunity to restore a tower in its original setting. Buildings experienced a growth that few towns its size in Ohio would ever experience. centralized automated systems, manually operated towers have become obsolete Bradford tower is the only interlocking structure preserved in the Darke- along a railroad right-of-way are seldomly left intact when a rail line is Late in the nineteenth century and early into the twentieth century Bradford timbering camp in the midst of a dense forest. The land was evidently purchased of the CP&I reached the Darke-Miami County line, on the site where Bradford would evolve, the railroad found itself without finances to build any further Junction.

With completion of the line west in 1859, Union City Junction the settlement was renamed Richmond Junction and kept that name until a post office was established in 1866, the name was once again changed, this time to first roundhouse for the servicing of engines was built in 1868. It was around this time that the railroad began to build its facilities and started to the heart of an expanding railroad system. As the railroad expanded, so did By the turn of the century Bradford was on its way to becoming a massive had a total capacity of more than three thousand cars and contained over seventy miles of track. A vast number of facilities had been built in the terminal including a coaling tower, car repair shops, a power plant, a mammoth fifteen in the town centered around the railroad and the community was mostly populated road town.

It is important to note two major events that occured in the same decade most of Bradford's business district. ITwo years later a major rail strike tributed to the decision that led to the closing of the terminal in 1929. Only a handful of railroad crews were left working in the town. Most of the facil- ities in the complex were closed and activities in the yards were greatly reduced. Although the glory days of railroading in Bradford had ended with the closing remain core routes of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Bradford would whitness the end of the steam era and the coming of diesel locomotives, as well as three new the town until 1985, when after one hundred thirty years of service, the last Piqua & Indiana Railroad in 1850.

At this time it was nothing more than a A small village was established there and became known as Union City served as a midpoint on the line to fuel and water the early wood burning provide housing for its workers. Bradford found itself centrally located in the town, and the importance of Bradford as a rail center was soon realized. railroad terminal. The town reached its peak of prosperity following a major were employed in the complex whose weekly wages equalled ten times the average stall roundhouse, and a railroad YMCA, one of the largest in the nation. Life by railroad workers and their families. Bradford was in every respect a rail- temporarily disrupted activity in the terminal. Perhaps these two events con- trains would pass through the junction switches in town, as the two lines would of the terminal, trains by no means had disappeared.

Hundreds of thousands of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which aquired the terminal in 1929, became the indent- locomotives. Today in Bradford, a restored Pennsylvania Railroad caboose and a tangible evidence of the railroad in Bradford. For a more comprehensive account of Bradford's railroad history, I author and railroad historian. In conclusion, the tower is not only a unique representation of past transportation technology, it is a monument to the Village of Bradford, community which molded itself around the railroad industry. It is for these two reasons I feel that the property is deserving of recognition or the National Register of Historical Places. Very truly yours, Enclosures historical marker, located on the grounds where the YMCA once stood, com- memorate the town's heritage.

Besides the tower, a two mile stretch of Jir Subler suggest reading"Bradford the Railroad Town"by Scott local diesels passing the tower. leading into the yards. the upper left hand corner. Notice the thousands of cars being stored in the yards in This is an aerial view of the terminal taken arcund l945. Wer Bradford, Ohio : Steel lockers Switching mechanisms switching levers operator's desk Not to Scale Cabinet Nnd floor floor plan Ist floor desk 0000 0 0 00 c00 December 18, 1992 05 Stichter Street Bradford, Ohio 45308 Mr. GlenhA. Harper; a caboose in our park. We took pledges and put those names on a monument to help pay for the project. It was most interesting to hear all the stories of this once railroad community. From the round table our population today. I could not believe the amount of money some of the people donated nor where some of the families came from.

Village Council Member Respectfully, tower. I would hope you would give your consideration to this railroad As a member of the village council of Bradford and a former businessman, I hope you would give your support for the railroad tower in the village of Bradford for tne National Register of Historical Back in 1984 we the CIC (Community Improvement Committee) put Jeffrey L. Wirrig Places. THE VILLAGE OF BRADFORD 115 N. MIAMI AVENUE BRADFORD, OHIO 45308 (513) 448-2718 December 21, 1992 To: Ohio Historic Preservation Office Wright State University Department of History From: Thomas E. Kinnison, Mayor Dear Mr. Glenn A. Harper, I am writing you today with the concern I have with the heritage of the Village of Bradford. The Village of Bradford has lost a great deal of history when the railroad moved out of town. Tower to the National Register a historic place in the Village of Bradford.

Thanks for you time and cooperation in this matter. Sincerely, I am writing you today urging you with my support in nominating the Railroad Dayton, Ohio 45435 DARKE AND MIAMI COUNTIES pus truly