Kirkersville

Kirkersville, a small pike town on the National Road, experienced the evolution of transportation from the days of horse and wagon to the automobile. The arrival of the interurban brought not only another mode of transit to the community but also electricity at a time when a national power grid had not yet been established and electric power was often produced and distributed locally. In 1902 an interurban line was built through Kirkersville, with cars running on steel rails down the middle of Main Street, the National Road, and powered by electricity supplied from overhead wires from generating stations built specifically for the light rail cars. Like other towns along interurban routes, Kirkersville gained access to inexpensive and reliable electricity for lighting and other needs. Although the interurban line operated for only 27 years, it provided dependable transportation and convenient connections to towns and villages across Ohio and the Midwest before growing public preference for the automobile and the availability of electric power from other sources ended the reign of the interurbans.

Kirkersville, Ohio · United States