Towns and Nature

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Akron, OH: (JO) Tower: Erie vs Pennsy+B&O

(Satellite, I got an aerial photo to verify that the tower was in the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Market and College Streets.)

Vince Nicklin posted 10 photos with the comment:

There was a link posted in a comment thread earlier that I'd like everyone to get a chance to look at. Most people are leary of clicking on links, so I'm posting the JO Tower photos here. This place sat on the SE portion of E. Market & S. College Streets @ the RR tracks.
JO Tower most commonly refers to a railroad interlocking tower, that managed traffic for the Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, and Erie Railroads. Located near East Market Street, it was active through the mid-1970s and served as a key spot for observing train movements.
Photos: Gary Morris

Bob Weston shared with the comment: "JO tower was located in Akron Ohio and controlled traffic on joint PRR and B&O trackage and a crossing with Erie Lackawanna."

Bob Weston: Razed in 2001

David Harbaugh: December 1975

3
[Comments indicate that the CTC machine on the right controlled Arlington and Lambert.]

B Tupper Upham: Another US&S Model 14...what did Warwick have in it?

John Parker: This is the control box that I have in my collection.

Tom Fritsch commented on Vince's post
I remember that. Unfortunately, I didn't photograph it until just before demolition in 2001. It was in use 1908-1980).

Barry James commented on Vince's post
Looking southeast on market st. The tower would had been just to the left of engine 4411. What use to be JO interlocking, and had 5+ tracks thru here, now has two.

Vionce Nicklin commented on Vince's post

When was the tower built? This is a photo of the Warren G. Harding funeral train event @ The Union Depot in 1923. Is that it under my arrow?

I included a link to the original where you can zoom in better.

https://www.summitmemory.org/.../photos/id/1329/rec/148

1958/59 Akron West Quad @ 24,000

The tower is near the upper-right corner.

Apr 16, 1952 @ 17,000; AR1PH0000060006

New Castle, PA: 1893 American Tin Plate (Greer Tin Mills) and Tinplate Capital in 1917

(Satellite, on the east bank of the Shenango River "at the end of Furnace Street." [lcmemoirs])

(This was the location of the Shenango Sheet and Tin Plate Co. [lcmemoirs])

The "tinplate capital in 1917" fact comes from a headline in mcall. Unfortunately, it is a paywall, so I can't get more information.

Jackson-Township historical preservation posted
Greer Tin Mills in the city of New Castle, Lawrence County around 1910.
Jack Davis shared
[lcmemoirs has a colorized version of this photo and says this was the Shenango Works. And it has additional images of the plants.]

"Before construction of the massive Shenango Sheet and Tin Plate Company was even completed all the tin plate outfits in the area were purchased and merged into the new American Tin Plate Company in December 1898. The company, established by Daniel G. Reid (the “Tin Plate King”), owned numerous sheet plate and tin plants around the country and practically controlled the industry now. Greer and other tin plate executives became very rich when they sold off their assets. George Greer remained onboard as district manager overseeing all the local plants. These included his old plant now known as the New Castle Works, the soon-to-be-completed Shenango Works, and the Sharon (or Farrell) Works to the north. The smaller Johnson Works in New Castle was soon closed down....With the New Castle Works and Shenango Works in full operation New Castle was the largest single producing site of tin plate in the entire world." The mills became part of US Steel. "U.S. Steel reorganized its tin plate assets under the moniker of the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company in January 1904. Greer remained in charge of all local plants, including the mill in Sharon, as district manager." The Greer plant closed as a tinplate plant in 1937. During WWII, the city owned the plant and used it for war production. Between 1942 and 1982, the plant made heavy duty steel springs. The Shenango Works produced tinplate until 1940. It was used by ALCOA during WWII. Between 1953 and 1993, it was owned by Rockwell and produced axels for heavy duty trucks. [lcmemoirs]

Monday, February 16, 2026

Crystal City, MO: Frisco Depots and Pittsburg Plate Glass Co.

Depot: (Satellite)

Glass Plant: (Satellite, brownland with a few brave trees.)

Richard Crabtree posted five images with the comment:

The Frisco Depots of Crystal City, Missouri
Crystal City, Mo., residents are happily proud of the new Frisco station recently completed in their city. The new building is a one-story combination of passenger and freight facilities and cost $25,000. Its construction is of glazed tile with cement floors. The station contains spacious general waiting room, ticket office, freight and baggage rooms with a four hundred foot long passenger platform of brick, and a wooden freight platform. The roof is of tile. Crystal City has one of the largest plate glass plants in the world within its boundaries-the Pittsburg Plate Glass Company. Glass from this plant is shipped to all parts of the United States and to Canada, Mexico, South America, Cuba and the Philippine Islands.
November 1926 The Frisco Employes' Magazine
Photo 1) Frisco Depot Crystal City, MO 1968
Photo 2) Sanborn Map Crystal City, Missouri 1908 1st depot LOC
Photo 3) Sanborn Map Crystal City, Missouri 1926 2nd Depot LOC
Photo 4) Frisco Depot Crystal City, Mo 1971 Photo Ken McElreath
Photo 5) Frisco Depot Crystal City, Mo 1980

Jim Kelling shared with the comment: "Crystal City, Missouri (Frisco Lines)."

Note that the water tower in Photo 1 is extant. This is a view of the current BNSF building.

Street View, Aug 2022

Today's building is larger than the 1980 building in Photo 5. One normally does not see a yard office, let alone one that has grown. I wonder what kind of business BNSF does in the area to justify a local office.

Street View, Aug 2022

1964 Festus Quad @ 24,000 and 1949 Crystal City Quad @ 62,500

PPG appears in a 1985 image. These old images make one appreciate how good today's satellite images are.

Google Earth, Dec 1985

The next available image is 1993, and it is gone. So, we lost more than steel mills and tractor manufacturing in the 1980s.

Google Earth, Oct 1993

So how contaminated is this former Pittsburg Plate Glass land?

Statellite

Indianapolis, IN: Massachusetts Avenue Tower: Big Four vs. Monon and NKP

(Satellite, the ramp up to the Monon Trail has wiped out the tower's foundation.)

Darren Reynolds posted four images with the comment:

Conrails (EX- CCC&STLRY/NYC)"Massachusetts Ave" tower
Indianapolis, Indiana
This tower is no longer standing

Tim Shanahan shared

Little "Massachusetts Ave" tower in Indianapolis, Indiana 1970

Photo by

The interlocking machine at "Massachusetts Ave" tower

Photo by: Bob McCord

3
The back of "Massachusetts Ave" tower in Indianapolis, Indiana

4
A track and interlocking diagram for "Massachusetts Ave" tower and interlocking machine information...

Matthew Lappin: question, was the diamond a slip switch or moveable point frog setup.

and my guess is Pratt is Polk?

believe the NKP Hole track was for a PSI substation

Daniel Kopack: That would be a slip switch..

Daniel Kopack: Indy had one of the best track plans of any major city...

Corydon, IA: Lost?/CB&Q Depot

(Satellite?)

Michael Emerson Avitt posted
April 19, 2005 - CB&Q depot at Corydon, Iowa.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Michael's post
2005 is fairly recent. Is it still standing? I looked along the former right-of-way, but I could not find it. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Kz9gwHQ37oTLZ8Sw6

It was on the east/west route between Humeston and Sedan.

1902

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Youngstown, OH: 1846 Lanterman's Mill at Mill Creek

(Satellite)

Mill Creek joins the Mahoning River in Youngstown.

Note the grist stones on the left side of the view.

Street View, Oct 2015

This photo shows the waterfall that creates the head for the mill.

Joe Labbiento, Feb 2023

This is the post that motivated researching this mill. Note the Lanterman Covered Bridge in the right background.

Facebook Reel

Jon Rackson, Apr 2025

The overshot waterwheel is in the basement. I think the first floor has the millstone, the second floor has the sifters, and the third floor is storage.

Philip Lautenschlager, Jun 2021

Water enters the side of the building that has the control gate and flows down the mill race to the top of the waterwheel. The water behind the "Google Maps" label in this photo is on top of the waterwheel.

Cindy Laveck, Oct 2024

Here is another view of the water falling onto the water wheel. Note the vertical drive shaft to the left of the waterwheel.

Tom Turney, Aug 2021

Here is a video of the water driving the wheel.

ofri haimi, Aug 2021

And a video in the sub-basement of the wheel turning.

ofri haimi, Aug 2021

Remember the driveshaft I noted above in Tom's photo? Here we see that a ring gear on the waterwheel drives a bevel gear on the driveshaft.

Billy Pope, Nov 2023

The above photo also shows how the mill used the side of the canyon as one of its walls.

Fatima A, Jun 2022

A closeup of the ring gear.

Randy Bentley, Jul 2023

And then up on the first floor, the vertical drive shaft drives a horizontal shaft.

Zack Braley, Jul 2025

Does the horizontal shaft in Zack's photo then drive another vertical driveshaft?

Simi, Jay 2022

These are three views of the same gears and belt. I didn't have a bucket list, but I do now. I need to visit this mill to figure out what is driving what.

Kyle Kendzierski, Jul 2017

Dena Ward, Oct 2016

Frank Bosso, Nov 2021

Eventually, something drives the mill stone

Simi, May 2022

And here is a spare set of stones and the crane that is used to replace them.

Andie Morgan, Sep 2023

I presume this is the second floor. I don't know how much of this equipment was native to the mill and how much are museum pieces. For example, I see two different grindstone containers in the background.