Early post card photo of Ada's railroad park
When you drive through Ada you can't miss the railroad depot park.
The park has a long history in the community. Here's one of the earliest photos of the park. This is a colorized post card from the collection of Lee Crouse. According to Jimmy Wilson, the Civil War cannon is aimed toward Fort Sumter, South Carolina, where the war erupted on April 12, 1861.
According to Crouse: "The girl on the bench at the railroad park was Alice W. Gessaman-Cotner born May 23, 1910, and died in Bluffton May 18, 2004.
Notice a couple interesting features of this photo:
• The unknown photographer took the photo when a passenger train was at the depot
• It's quite likely that the four people - two men and a woman and girl - may be models, posed for the photo
• The trees in the photo are fairly mature. Based upon known birthday of the young girl, this photo from the mid-1910 era. So, the trees could have been planted around the time that the cannon was put in place.
• Notice the top of the building on the northside of the train. It is still there today.
• The depot appear identical in the photo as it does today.
Stories Posted This Week
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Monday, June 15, 2026
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Friday, June 12, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, June 12
- Blanchard River Watershed Partnership hosts 5K trail run on July 25
- Beaverdam to begin water treatment plant repairs
- Save the date: Declaration of Independence reading, July 8
- Bluffton Police answer 630 calls for service in May 2026
- Great wealth disparity and our eroding democracy