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Frank Mulholland
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Frank Mulholland
Herborn’s History Centers Around A Railroad With Part Of A Train Still There
In a way, you could say the train pulled into the quaint little community of Herborn and never left. To this day remnants of the train still sit on property owned by Aubrey Jones. Although no traces exist today, the Wabash Railroad ran directly through Herborn and down the driveway of the Jones’ home.
Back in the mid seventies, Jones helped a man named John Fauk move two box cars, a caboose and a tanker car onto property in Herborn. Fauk even wanted to bring in an engine, but that did not work out.
“He (Fauk) called me up one day, I was in the trucking business and he said ‘Hey, I want to bring a caboose in there could you haul it up there for me’, and I said yes,” Jones said. “So he got a crane of some kind and loaded it down in Stewardson.”
Fauk and Jones fixed up the freight cars into a house trailer of sorts. Fauk had plans to make the tanker into a swimming pool, but that never worked out. Fauk had worked for the railroad for many years and had a dream of placing a whole train on the property and fixing it up as a home with swimming pool.
Fauk actually lived in Atlanta, Georgia but would escape back to Herborn and his train house to get away. Over the years he had gained much wealth in business and money was no object when it came to his train home. He had grown up literally next to the tracks and loved trains.
“He spent a good deal of money fixing up the train with lowered ceilings, windows and even carpet,” said Christie Jones, wife of Aubrey.
This is another story in the series of histories of small communities in Shelby County. These stories are inspired by Lowell Goleman’s project of placing flags representing all the communities that existed or do exist in Shelby County, around the Courthouse Square in Shelbyville.
Herborn sits about a half mile west of State Highway 32, between Stewardson and Strasburg. There are no signs marking the town and if you would blink you could miss it. There are only 5 houses there now.
The founder of Herborn was Henrich Wilhelm Rincker. The Rinckers settled in the Herborn area in 1864. When the Wabash Railroad wanted to build a line through the village Rincker convinced the railroad to put in a siding on his property in exchange for him giving them the right-of-way to build across his property. The railroad was built in 1873. In mid 1878 the railroad built a depot at the Rincker Station. There was also a blacksmith shop.
A post office was established in the fall of 1878 under the name of Herborn after Mr. Rincker’s home in Germany.
Jones was born and raised in the general vicinity of Herborn. He is now 84 years old and spent most of those years in the Herborn area.
“At one time there was a huge hay barn and a big grocery store in Herborn,” said Jones.
The property where Jones’ house sits is where the grocery store once stood.
John Fauk, was one of the better known business men of Herborn. Fauk was involved in farming, partner in a tile factory, and ran a general store which he purchased from Rincker. His son John Fauk brought in the railroad cars.
After the younger Fauk’s death Jones purchased the property and built a home on the land. Two of the train cars still sit on Jones property. He sold off the caboose and tank car over the years.
Today, only four people live in Herborn, Jones said.. He still loves the quiet little spot where he lives with his Christie. He has built several beautiful flower gardens on the property. He has also built a red water tower in his backyard with the name Herborn on it, and Aubrey Jones as mayor.
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