The Coal Branch of the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad (the branch also known as the "Pumpkin Vine Railroad") was constructed in 1872 from Bismarck, Illinois, across Warren County, Indiana, across the Wabash River near the river town of Baltimore, to Covington. There it connected with an existing line that carried coal north to Covington from the coal mines at Snoddy's Mill in the Coal Creek area, a few miles to the south. The area was also known as Stringtown because it consisted of a series of small settlements; this name is still used locally.