In 1898, the railroad industry was approaching its height in Carbondale as the expansion of the Illinois Central Railroad brought numerous families to the area and led to major growth of railroad facilities north of the Town Square. Around 1900, the railroad property at Jackson Street included the Division Headquarters Building on the left and the freight depot on the right in a southbound view. A big artesian well and seven new switches were built to handle the large number of freight trains slated to be dispatched from Carbondale. The abundance of southern Illinois coal and a greatly expanded loading chute at the switchyard made Carbondale a major coding point for Illinois Central trains. Railroad schedules published in 1898 showed at least thirty-three trains a day stopping in Carbondale on five different shipping lines.