Have you ever seen the heating plant?

Did you know that there was once a central heating system built in Crawfordsville's downtown area to provide heat for homes and stores? In the early years of the 20th century, local citizens organized to create the Crawfordsville Heating Company and undertake this service. The central heating plant, shown in this newly acquired postcard, was built in 1909 -- and the building still exists. If you have driven around Crawfordsville, you have surely passed it numerous times: it is now the Enterprise building, located on Market Street. When the plant was active, its coal-fired boilers heated the water that was pumped through insulated underground pipes throughout the downtown area; the cold water then returned via another pipe to be reheated. The heating plant provided free heat to nearby Culver Hospital.