The Interurban Railway

The Interurban Railway. . , "The cars I recall were quite large, not unlike a steam railroad coach, and painted dark red except for one wonderful yellow car, when I was a tiny child." Minnie Hite Moody's memories of the Newark and Granville Electric Road paint a vivid picture of the interurban railway. Already in operation for ten years when the was born in 1900, the interurban changed the way people traveled between cities and helped give rise to the modern commuter., As the first interurban connection in the United States, the Newark-Granville line was an incredible achievement. A trip on the interurban was not to be forgotten, as told by Minnie. "Whether it was the peculiar rocking motion of the car or the ever-present smell of burned electricity, I cannot say, but while I never got sick on the steam cars, I usually distinguished myself on every ride on the electric railroad by throwing up.", Reinhard Scheidler, the founder of Scheidler Machine Works and builder of our museum building, was a member of the Board of Directors and served as president of the Newark and Granville Electric Road.,

1890 , The first trip between two cities on an interurban railway in the United States occurred between Newark and Granville., 1900 , The Hewett Car Company made interurban cars in Newark from 1900 until 1918., 1918, 1929 , 1929 was the last year for interurban service to Newark.

, The Jewett Car Company made interurban cars in Newark from 1900 until 1918 and there are still several surviving Jewett cars around the United States in San Francisco, cars 130 and 162 are both Jewett cars that were built in Newark in 1914 and still operate as part of the San Francisco Municipal Railway., Many towns utilized existing buildings to serve as stations along the interurban line. This photo shows an interurban station in Hebron, Ohio, which was located on the northwest corner of North High Street and West Main Street., Guess what? , You can step inside a restored Jewett interurban car in our courtyard. , Picture yourself zooming through Blackhand Gorge tunnel or taking in the scenery as you pass through Cherry Valley on the way to Granville!