The Deadly Taylorsville Tree
02/16/1951 EDINBURG DAILY COURIER

Three Atterbury Soldiers Killed in Taylorsville Wreck.  Three young Atterbury soldiers were killed at about 1:00 A.M. this morning when their speeding automobile left the road at Taylorsville, six miles south of Edinburg, and smashed into a tree.  The dead are Private John R. Williamson, 22, driver of the car; Private Samuel S. Gran, 24, and Private Norward Rommesmo, 23.  Private Earl D. Summers, 19, is in critical condition at Camp Atterbury Hospital, the police report listing his injuries as fractured left ankle, multiple fractures of left arm, forehead lacerations, possible skull fracture and extreme shock.  All the men are members of the 119th Infantry Service Company.  The 1940 Ford business coupe driven by Private Williamson was headed north at the time of the wreck at a speed estimated by police at more than 60 miles an hour.  There is a curve in road 31 at the south edge of Taylorsville.  In some manner the driver failed to control his car on the curve, left the road which was dry, ans smashed into a large Sycamore tree near the road. Privates Williamson and Gran were dead in the car.  Private Rommesmo died at 5:05 A.M. this morning.  He had received emergency first aid at the Bartholomew County Hospital.

02/16/1951 Franklin Evening Star
3 Soldiers Are Killed in Crash - Fourth Badly Hurt. When Auto Strikes Tree at Taylorsville. 28th G. I.'s Victims When Car Leaves Curve On U. S. Highway 31.  Three Camp Atterbury soldiers were killed and another was critically hurt at 1:15 o'clock Friday morning when the 1940 Ford coupe in which they were riding north on U. S. 31 failed to negotiate a curve and crashed into a large sycamore tree at Taylorsville.  Post public relations office at Camp Atterbury listed the dead as: Pvt. John R. Williamson, 23, of Tomahawk, Ky., member of Service Company, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division.  He was believed to have been the driver of the car. Pvt. Samuel S. Gran, 24, of Nashville, Tenn., a member of the same unit. Pvt. Norwald Rommesmo, 23, of Fargo, N. D., also of that unit.  He died two hours later in the U. S. Army Hospital at the post.  Critically Injured.  Reported as critically injured is Pvt. Earl D. Summers, 19, of Alliance, Ohio, a member of the same company.  State police said Pvt. Summers is suffering from a fractured left ankle, multiple fractures of the left arm, a possible fractured skull, cuts and abrasions on the head, and extreme shock.  He was reported to have been thrown from the vehicle.  Officers said the car left the highway and struck the tree, coming to rest about 20 feet north of the tree.  The accident was investigated by Sgt. Chester Wilson and Troopers Malcolm Heuss, Earl Brown and Arthur Raney, of the Indiana state police.


Intersection of (now) Road 600 North and old US 31.  Facing East.  All that remains of the Old US 31 pavement is shown at right.  The highway was rerouted to eliminate the curves.


Intersection of (now) Road 600 North, and old 2-lane US 31.  Curve in the distance. 


Facing North towards the beginning of the curve and the tree is visible.


The tree.  I assume the wreckage from both World War II and the Korean War eras, scarred the tree so badly that it rotted.


The tree with more of the curve on north of the tree. 


Back against the tree, facing South.  Shows the curve.