South Street Tunnel (Culvert/Viaduct) Postcard (#1) - Circa 1908
Title
South Street Tunnel (Culvert/Viaduct) Postcard (#1) - Circa 1908
Description
In this postcard the vegetation is lush and colorized so it looks like late summer.
A copy of this postcard for sale on Ebay was postmarked 1908.
The South St. tunnel (culvert/viaduct) is a helicoidal or spiral stone arch. One part was completed in 1867 and the other (over the other train track) was finished in 1897.
Allen Stebbins, Chair of the Woodstock Historic Preservation Commission, provided this insight to the tunnel (or "Culvert"):
"The South St. Culvert as it has been called was built in two
sections. The first in 1867 when the Chicago & Northwestern built a single rail line out this way and the second section 30 years later in 1897 when they expanded to a second line. That's why the two dates on the keystones. I've started collecting some historic records on this bridge.
"What's unusual is both sections were built in what's known as a helicoidal or spiral arch method. These arches are extremely rare in the United States built when a road or railroad crossed another road or river at an angle and at an incline. It posed some real problems for the engineers who looked back to the ancient Romans for ideas to solve the problem and rediscovered the spiral arch! Basically all the engineering up front needed to be pretty precise and once designed the stonemasons cut all the stones exactly the same dimensions then laid them in the spiral arch (oftentimes without the need of any mortar.) These types of arches are extremely strong and durable as witnessed by some of the ancient Roman examples still standing.
"In the United States there are only a few known examples–some in Pennsylvania and the Seventh Street Improvement Arches in Minneapolis. These are listed as landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places. The South St. Culvert is in the historic district and I would like to see it nominated as a national landmark, but do know Union Pacific opposes it. They do have plans in the future to expand the rail lines to three from Barrington all the way out to Harvard when they ultimately put in the Woodstock rail yard. ..."
The tunnel is architecturally and historically significant. The tunnel should be designated a Landmark by the City of Woodstock and preserved, as is the Woodstock Opera House.
Note the City's motto: "True to its past...confident of its future." Will The People prevail in the case of preserving the tunnel, or will the tunnel meet the same fate as Grace Hall?" [Woodstock Advocate blog, Gus Philpott]
A copy of this postcard for sale on Ebay was postmarked 1908.
The South St. tunnel (culvert/viaduct) is a helicoidal or spiral stone arch. One part was completed in 1867 and the other (over the other train track) was finished in 1897.
Allen Stebbins, Chair of the Woodstock Historic Preservation Commission, provided this insight to the tunnel (or "Culvert"):
"The South St. Culvert as it has been called was built in two
sections. The first in 1867 when the Chicago & Northwestern built a single rail line out this way and the second section 30 years later in 1897 when they expanded to a second line. That's why the two dates on the keystones. I've started collecting some historic records on this bridge.
"What's unusual is both sections were built in what's known as a helicoidal or spiral arch method. These arches are extremely rare in the United States built when a road or railroad crossed another road or river at an angle and at an incline. It posed some real problems for the engineers who looked back to the ancient Romans for ideas to solve the problem and rediscovered the spiral arch! Basically all the engineering up front needed to be pretty precise and once designed the stonemasons cut all the stones exactly the same dimensions then laid them in the spiral arch (oftentimes without the need of any mortar.) These types of arches are extremely strong and durable as witnessed by some of the ancient Roman examples still standing.
"In the United States there are only a few known examples–some in Pennsylvania and the Seventh Street Improvement Arches in Minneapolis. These are listed as landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places. The South St. Culvert is in the historic district and I would like to see it nominated as a national landmark, but do know Union Pacific opposes it. They do have plans in the future to expand the rail lines to three from Barrington all the way out to Harvard when they ultimately put in the Woodstock rail yard. ..."
The tunnel is architecturally and historically significant. The tunnel should be designated a Landmark by the City of Woodstock and preserved, as is the Woodstock Opera House.
Note the City's motto: "True to its past...confident of its future." Will The People prevail in the case of preserving the tunnel, or will the tunnel meet the same fate as Grace Hall?" [Woodstock Advocate blog, Gus Philpott]
Creator
Date
1908~
Collection
Citation
Wm. G. Hoffman, Chicago, “South Street Tunnel (Culvert/Viaduct) Postcard (#1) - Circa 1908,” Woodstock Public Library Archives, accessed March 10, 2026, https://woodstockpubliclibraryarchives.omeka.net/items/show/412.
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