Edinburgh (Madison State Road)
Edinburgh, IN
Jan 20, 2008
Northwest of Edinburgh, Indiana, the Madison State Road leaves US-31 and heads east on IN-252, Eisenhower Drive.
The IN-252 bridge over the Big Blue River in Edinburgh, Indiana.
Marker indicating that this dam on the Big Blue River in Edinburgh, Indiana, was designed and built by John A. Thompson.
This dam in Edinburgh, Indiana, is just upstream and visible to the east from the IN-252 bridge over the Big Blue River.
Immediately after crossing the Big Blue River, IN-252 turns left and heads east. To follow the Madison State Road, you need to continue on Eisenhower Drive as it approaches Edinburgh. The road did not go through the main street of Edinburgh. It passed two blocks to the west.
Amusingly, the Town of Edinburgh's web site has a Frequently Asked Questions section with three questions, the last of which is "What county and township is Edinburgh in?" The answer is "Edinburgh is in three counties - Johnson County/Blue River Township, Bartholomew County/German Township and Shelby County/Jackson Township." Now that is confusing!
"Town of Edinburgh" building on the southeast corner of Eisenhower Drive and County Line Road in Edinburgh, Indiana.
Apparently the road ended here at County Line Road and you needed to turn west toward what is now the cemetery, and then turn south again. The present road now extends south and then angles southwest to join the former road to head due south again before joining up with US-31 again. This segment of the road through Edinburgh used to be IN-79, decommissioned in the 1960s. IN-79 was a very short route through Edinburgh where it used to be US-31 prior to its bypassing the town.
Welcome sign for Edinburgh, Indiana, approaching on northbound US-31. Turning right at the sign takes you into Edinburgh and the old alignment of US-31.
Regarding the history and spelling of Edinburgh:
Edinburgh, Indiana was the first settlement in Johnson County and is situated in the far southeast corner of the county. Edinburgh’s first settler was John Campbell who came into the area in 1820. The name originally ended in "h" when it was first platted and when the town was incorporated in 1853. The "h" was dropped from the name in 1899 and was missing for the next 77 years. In 1977 the Town Council restored the "h" to Edinburgh's name. (http://www.edinburgh.in.us/category/subcategory.php?categoryid=19)
The Exit 76 Antique Mall on the east side of US-31 between I-65 and Edinburgh, Indiana. We love stopping and shopping here and always find new things we want to spend money on.