MELBOURNE - Melbourne was a once bustling rail area. One of the reminders of that era has served as a historical marker in the town for decades.
The Melbourne Mousehole is a landmark in the town and brings back memories of a former trestle bridge at that location.
"It's a sign of what used to be here," Cookie Purdy, the city clerk of Melbourne, said. "Everyone knows the Mousehole, and it's a historic site. People drive down and take pictures of it, and kids like to drive through it and honk."
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T-R PHOTO BY ANDREW POTTER
The mousehole in Melbourne has been a landmark in the town for more than 100 years.
At one point in the late 1800s, there were eight local passenger trains, four local freights and several through-passenger trains that went through Melbourne.
The underpass was constructed in 1906 after several farmers and people in the town joined together to fill the open trestle with earth, when it was no longer used as part of the bridge.
It's so much a part of town that the annual festival is named after it. Melbourne Mousehole Days fall on the first weekend of August every year. As part of the festival this year, the town is celebrating its 130th year in existence.
Purdy said they have noticed the structure is in need of refurbishing and that is part of the long term plans of the town as no definitive work is scheduled.
"It's getting kind of old," she said.
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Each Monday this summer the Times-Republican will feature stories on local landmarks that help make this area unique.