Terre Haute Indianapolis & Eastern interurban No. 81 was built in 1902 by Jewett, an electric railroad car manufacturer, for the Indianapolis & Martinsville - an electric railway in Central Indiana. This car is reported to be the oldest surviving car built by Jewett of Ohio, and is constructed of wood.
The car was later acquired with the I&M by the Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern, another electric railway, and was used to transport people and milk cans between cities and towns southwest of Indianapolis.
This car represents one of the only wooden electric railway cars that survive from Indiana’s rich electric railway heritage, where thousands of cars roamed Indiana streets and the countryside.
In 1920, the car was painted yellow and ran from Indianapolis to Danville. Prior to this, the car was dark green with gold lettering. When painted yellow, 81 was named "Central Normal" in honor of a local teachers college in Danville.
A colorized photo of No. 81’s identical sister, No. 83 “Abner Creek” at Danville, Ind.
While in service from Indianapolis to Danville, two seats were removed to allow enlargement of the baggage room for a brisk business hauling milk cans from farms along the line to the city.
No. 81 was retired from the growing Indiana Railroad in 1930 and made into a residence at 56th and Guion Road in Indianapolis. In 1978, the car was recovered and moved to the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville.
In 2018, No. 81 was acquired by the Hoosier Heartland Trolley Co. from the Indiana Transportation Museum.