Suddenly in the late 1800s a tragedy struck this town that so horrified the public that they bypassed Ashtabula for neighboring Cleveland and essentially halted its potential growth. What you may wonder would be so devastating that it could change the path of an entire city?
On a snowy December evening in 1876 a train left Erie heading west. This is not the start of a high school math problem, but it is an equation for one of the 10 worst technology disasters in over 350 years. This train was pulled by two engines and had 159 passengers on board. As the train passed over the bridge which spanned the Ashtabula river, the bridge failed and only one engine made it to the other side. The crash was heard in town as 11 railcars and the second engine plummeted over 70 feet into the icy river. Although some of the cars landed upright in the river, the wooden cars were at that time heated by coal fired stoves which soon became an inferno. Passengers who had survived the impact and escaped the wreckage were taken to local residences and businesses because there was no hospital in the town. Many others were trapped within the mangled wreckage and their screams were heard throughout the valley as they perished in the blaze. In total 92 people lost their lives in what has become the Ashtabula Bridge Disaster or the Ashtabula Horror. 48 of the fatalities were unrecognizable and a reported 64 others were injured in the crash.
The Ashtabula Horror thus shaped this town’s destiny and Cleveland became the favored port for the budding industry of the area as the legacy of this accident was felt for decades. An inspection of the bridge sited a faulty design. The chief engineer Charles Collins was believed to have committed suicide out of grief but it was later determined that it was in fact murder. The designer of the bridge Amasa Stone did then later commit suicide.
Charles Collins is buried in a vault in nearby Chestnut Grove Cemetery and very close by an obelisk which marks the grave which holds the remains of 19 of the victims who were so badly incinerated they could not be identified. The obelisk is still the tallest gravestone in all of Ashtabula and the area is rumored to be haunted. Reported sightings include visions of Mr Collins kneeing and holding his head in his hands repeating the words “I’m sorry”. The cemetery is located at 79 Grove Drive in Ashtabula and the monument is easy to find by following the blue information signs. As I visited the cemetery, the nearby sounds of freight trains passing were an eerie reminder of the history of the area.
The Ashtabula Medical Center is perhaps the largest memorial of this disaster. Built mainly for the purpose of attending to the needs of future railroad calamities, there is a memorial garden with a plaque that when operational gives a recorded history of the train wreck.
The original bridge was replaced and a nearby walking trail provides a great vantage point. Indian Trails Park is located at 1700 E 1st St and the asphalt trail follows along the scenic Ashtabula River to the base of the bridge. The trail then continues to a wonderful vantage point of a beautiful waterfall and the walkway is ADA accessible. The trail is a very easy walk and well worth the effort.
Although the Ashtabula Horror happened nearly 150 years ago, the lasting effects of this tragedy shaped this town. With the work starting on the new Railroad Museum in Meadville, I felt it was a timely topic to show just how influential the railroad has been in the rise and fall in the towns in our backyard. Remember as you plan your visit, wandering does not mean you are lost.
