Posted in Indiana January 02, 2021 by

The Longest Tunnel In Indiana, Edwardsville Tunnel, Has A Truly Fascinating Backstory

Tucked away near Edwardsville, Indiana, is an oft-forgotten national treasure. The Duncan Tunnel, also known as the Edwardsville Tunnel for obvious reasons, is nearly a mile long, and its past is littered with intrigue.

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Originally, the tunnel was under construction by Air Line, but it wasn't long before the company changed its name and assumed a different identity.
Train Photos/Flickr
Its name would change twice more before bouncing to a new owner entirely in January of 1901.
Among the first contractors assigned to work on the tunnel was a man by the name of George Cummings, who worked there for its first three years of construction in the 1870s. Amazingly, the crew of 30 men working on the tunnel did all the required blasting and drilling for the tunnel without machinery.
Staffan Vilcans/Flickr
After Air Line ceased operations on the project, Cummings was let go with their other builders, but he did eventually return to finish the project with Southern Railway in the early 1880s.
Southern Railway finished the tunnel in 1881 and it opened to use by passing trains in 1882. The estimated cost for the project was $1 million, which would be equivalent to about $25.5 million today.
Andrew/Flickr
Unfortunately, the construction of the tunnel was not without its accidents or incidents. In October 1881, nearing the end of construction operations, two workers were killed when an enormous stone fell from the roof of the tunnel, crushing them. A large flood racked the place at another point.
Even today, the tunnel is quite the spectacle to passersby unaware of its existence. Oftentimes, steam or smoke from passing trains appears to be rising from the hills with worried onlookers concerned that there's a fire. In reality, it's simply a train passing through the tunnel below.
Thomas Hawk/Flickr
Currently, the Interstate 64 runs over the top of the tunnel, with trains still passing through below. The tunnel is not open to vehicle traffic, and one must use lots of caution if they attempt to explore. Keep in mind that it's still an active rail!
The tunnel is quite an accomplishment in engineering.
Train Photos/Flickr
It spans nearly a mile long at 4,295 feet (a mile is 5,280 feet in length). It measures in at 24 feet in height, and 15 feet in width. It was once referred to by the New Albany Ledger-Standard in April of 1881 as a "first-class railroad.”
We're definitely inclined to agree!
Bill Dickinson/Flickr
There's something about tunnels that seems like an interesting and strangely forbidden world.

If you’re a bridge and tunnel enthusiast like we are, or you just want to know more, you might want to check out this article from New Albany Valley News written in 1960. It offers up a lot of interesting information!

Have you ever crossed through this legendary tunnel? What’s the craziest tunnel you’ve ever seen? Tell us all about them in the comments!

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