Bunker Hill, IL

History

Bunker Hill, Illinois was one of the few already-established towns on the route of the Terre Haute & Alton. The TH&A arrived there in 1853 as construction proceeded east from Alton. Although it has never been a very big town, some through passenger trains did stop there in the early Big Four years. After the newly built Short Line became the main line west of Hillsboro in 1904, Bunker Hill settled into being a pretty sleepy place on the Old Line, with two local “accommodation” trains each way between St. Louis and Mattoon, and local freights. Passenger service, which at the end consisted of mixed trains #56 and #57 operating daily except Sunday between East Alton and Hillsboro, ended in 1942. Bunker Hill was still an open agency well into the 1950s. The line was abandoned between Litchfield and East Alton by the NYC in 1965. A small remnant of the depot platform can still be seen today, where the old railroad grade crosses Brighton Street. Narrative provided by Bill Edrington.