Seymour in Jackson County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Reno Gang
Photographed By Lugnuts, February 18, 2020
1. The Reno Gang
The marker describes that adjacent jail cell on display here.
After the Civil War the Reno brothers returned home to Rockford, IN with a number of thieves and questionable characters. Soon the gang's far reaching crime sprees included train robbery, theft and murder. On the night of October 6, 1866, gang members John and Simeon Reno, along with Frank Sparks, boarded an O&M train hear here and took $12,000 to $18,000 from an Adams Express Company safe. The Reno Gang had just committed the first moving train robbery in the United States. Soon the Pinkerton Detective Agency was asked to search for the thieves.It wasn't until after the gang's last and most profitable train robbery at Marshfield, IN that the tides began to turn. During July 1868, on two separate occasions, hooded members of the Jackson County Vigilance Committee overpowered armed guards just west of Seymour and took a total of six gang members to a nearby beech tree to hang. Finally, in the early morning of December 12, 1868 the vigilantes forcibly entered the New Albany, IN jail. Brothers Frank, William and Simeon Reno, along with fellow gang member Charlie Anderson, were dragged from their cells and hung from the jail rafters.
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This steel-plated cell, believed to have held Charlie Anderson, was removed in 1961 when the 103 year old, two-story brick New Albany jail illustrated here was razed. Purchased by Eldo's Coffee Club members and presented to the City, the cell is on loan from the City of Seymour.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Law Enforcement • Railroads & Streetcars.
Location. 38° 57.576′ N, 85° 53.116′ W. Marker is in Seymour, Indiana, in Jackson County. Marker can be reached from Broadway (Indiana Route 11), on the right when traveling north. Located on the grounds of the Jackson County Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 N Broadway, Seymour IN 47274, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Alexander McClure (within shouting distance of this marker); Freeman Field (approx. 1.4 miles away); a different marker also named Freeman Field (approx. 1˝ miles away); B-25 Mitchell (approx. 2.6 miles away);
Photographed By Lugnuts, February 18, 2020
2. The Reno Gang Marker
The jail cell that (is believed to have) held Charlie Anderson in 1868 before he was removed by vigilantes and hanged in the jailhouse.
Regarding The Reno Gang. The marker accompanies a jail cell displayed on the grounds of the Jackson County Visitor Center. The cell was removed from the New Albany jail when the jail was razed in 1961. The cell is believed to have housed Charlie Anderson before he was hanged by vigilantes on December 12, 1868.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Marshfield Train Robbery, the first moving train robbery in the United States, pulled by the Reno Gang.
Additional keywords. Hangman Crossing
Credits. This page was last revised on March 11, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 11, 2020, by Lugnuts of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 581 times since then and 240 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 11, 2020, by Lugnuts of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
