Hamrick Station

Hamrick Station was a small community in Washington Township about five miles south of Greencastle on the Manhattan Road. One of the focal points of the community was the depot along the Vandalia rail line, which was completed in 1852 and later became known as the Pennsylvania railroad. The depot was not shown in the 1864 Putnam County map but is on the 1879 map from the Putnam County Atlas, as is the

Hamrick Post Office which began in 1866. School No. 1 was located close enough to the west to be called the Hamrick School.

The original Hamrick School building was believed to have been located about a mile west of the Manhattan road and about a mile north of the Hamrick Road (now 550S), in dense woods near a spring of water. Sometime prior to 1864 this log building was abandoned, and a new one room frame structure was built on the north side of the Hamrick Road, about a quarter mile west of Manhattan road. In 1923 the school was closed, and students then began attending the Manhattan School, which was located about two miles to the south.

On February 3, 1924 the former Hamrick depot was destroyed completely by fire, probably by a spark from a passing train. Paul Abrams had been living in the station, which was said to have been used as a store at one time. He was away from home at the time of the fire and lost all his household goods.

One of the prominent citizens of the community was the Hon. Ambrose Dudley Hamrick, who more commonly went by A. D. Hamrick. He was born 1807 in Mason County, Kentucky, where he married Eliza “Ella” Simpson on November 16, 1829. His father served in the Revolutionary War from Virginia. Gilson Hamrick (transcribed as Gibson Hamrick) was living in Kenton Co., KY when he applied for a Revolutionary War pension. It was denied/rejected as he had not served a full six months. A. D. Hamrick was of Irish descent and came to Indiana about 1832 along with his parents, Mrs. Hamrick’s family, led by her father Solomon Simpson, and several other family members. The Hamrick’s settled about five miles south of Greencastle in Washington Township at a place that in time became known as Hamrick Station.

In the late 1840’s and early 1850’s the Hon. A. D. Hamrick served Putnam County as a State Senator under the Whig ticket. Hamrick was a leading agriculturalist, serving a number of years on the State Board of Agriculture during the 1860’s and 1870’s, under whose direction the Indiana State Fair was held. Hamrick served as President of the State Board of Agriculture for several terms. According to an article in the Daily Banner on September 2, 1940, Hamrick was one of the first trustees of the “Boone and Hutcheson Cemetery Company” which was organized on May 22, 1879, along with Aaron Lewis, P. A. Bence, David Houck and Henry Hutcheson. Other members included Daniel Boone, who was related to the pioneer of the same name.

The Hon. A. D. Hamrick served in many civic positions, including a director of the Northwestern Christian University. He also served as Hamrick Station postmaster on several occasions in the 1860’s and 1870’s. Having lived a long and productive life, Hamrick died May 20, 1899. He and Mrs. Hamrick, who preceded him in death on February 13, 1879, are interred at the Boone and Hutcheson Cemetery.

Their children were Solomon Simpson Hamrick, born abt. 1831, died May 3, 1863, in Chancellorsville, VA; Mary F. Hamrick, born abt. 1833; Lucinda B. Hamrick, born abt. 1836, married Leander M. Campbell, June 25, 1867, in Putnam Co.; Sarah B. Hamrick, born abt. 1839, died 1931; Charles C. Hamrick, born 1845, died 1884, who was a doctor and served as attending physician at the State prison in Michigan City, buried Boone Hutcheson Cemetery, Putnam Co.; and Walter S. Hamrick, born February 10 1849, died July 10, 1918; married June 24, 187 in Putnam Co., Elizabeth "Lizzie" F. Bryan, born January 16, 1855, died August 15, 1948, both are buried at Boone Hutcheson.

Solomon Simpson “Simp” Hamrick died May 3, 1863 at Chancellor, Spotsylvania County, Virginia and was 1st Lieutenant, Co. A, 27th Indiana Regiment. He is buried at St. Marye's Heights, Fredericksburg National Cemetery, Fredericksburg, Virginia, gravesite 4431. Detailed information, including two letters from Solomon Simpson Hamrick to his father during the Civil War were compiled by Sharon Bryant, now deceased. This information indicates it has been copyrighted so I am not including here, but it can be viewed at:

http://www.ingenweb.org/inputnam/Putnam%20Military/hamrick,-soloman-simpson--simps-.html