Robert Pence

In September 2002 I set out on a road trip. My plan was to fairly-well cover the southern half of Indiana, but there's so much more to see than I anticipated that I barely saw the southwestern quadrant; even then, I skipped several places I would have liked to have visited. Approaching Paoli's courthouse from the south. The bridge was built in 1880 by the Cleveland Iron & Bridge Company, of Cleveland Ohio. Paoli's population in the 2000 census was 3,844. The town is the seat of Orange County, and the elegant Greek Revival courthouse, second oldest still serving in Indiana, was built 1847 - 1850 at a cost of $14,000. A monument on the courthouse square commemorates the Federal Land Survey of 1787, whose Initial Point at the intersection of Indiana's Base Line and 2nd Prinicipal Meridian, about two miles south of town. Paoli was the northernmost town captured during the Civil War by Confederate raiders led by Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan. Patoka Lake is a property of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The property is comprised of 25,800 acres including an 8,800 acre lake. My cousin and her husband raise Arabian horses on a farm just outside Paoli. Corydon, capital of Indiana Territory from 1813 - 1815, became state capital in 1816 when Indiana gained statehood. The capital was moved to Indianapolis in 1825. Corydon was the home of the late Governor Frank O'Bannon. William Hendricks, a native of Pennsylvania, was the first congressional representative of the new state of Indiana, and served as Governor 1822 - 1825. The capital was moved from Corydon to Indianapolis during his administration. His home and headquarters are open to the public as a historic site. St. Meinrad Archabbey, founded by Swiss Benedictine monks in 1854, is a community of 120 monks. The grounds and buildings are open to the public, and various public programs and retreats are hosted. A National Park Service Property, the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, preserves the site where Abraham Lincoln lived from ages 14 to 21 (1816 - 1830). Lincoln's father moved the family to Indiana from Kentucky because Indiana's system of maintaining property records better protected small landowners from fraud and encroachment. The recreation of the Thomas Lincoln farmstead is staffed by historic interpreters during summer tourism season. Note the rain gutters and downspouts fashioned from split and hollowed-out saplings, that collected roof runoff in rain barrels. Wood ashes were saved in the V=shaped wooden hopper, and rainwater was poured through them to leach out the alkali (potash) that was used along with tallow from butchering to make soap. Note the dearth of windows. Considering that almost everything you see here was fashioned by the farmer and his family from materials at hand, not much time was spent indoors during daylight. Window glass was frighteningly expensive then; it had to come from Cincinnati by wagon, and even a single small pane cost more than a day's wages for a laborer, let alone for a small farmer for whom mere survival was a full-time job, and a tenuous one at that. Mary Help of Christians (1857) is one of several mid-nineteenth century church buildings still actively serving parishes in the Newburgh Deanery of the Evansville Diocese. Indiana Geodes Next up: New Harmony, Vincennes and Mansfield Roller Mill

In September 2002 I set out on a road trip. My plan was to fairly-well cover the southern half of Indiana, but there's so much more to see than I anticipated that I barely saw the southwestern quadrant; even then, I skipped several places I would have liked to have visited. Spine of a substantial and growing greenway system, the Monon trail runs 10.5 miles from 10th Street to 96th Street, where it continues for another five miles as the Carmel-Clay Monon Greenway. Along the way, it passes the Indiana State Fairgrounds and connects with the Central Canal Towpath, the Fall Creek Trail, and the White River Wapahani Trail. The trails are well-designed and maintained, with adequate width, paved surface and good signage, and heavily used. White River State Park brings together many of the city's entertainment and recreation venues, including the zoo, Indiana State Museum and Eiteljorg Museum, all located within walking distance of the state capitol and Monument Circle. About an hour south of Indianapolis, Bloomington is home to Indiana University. The 3,750-seat IU Auditorium houses the world's largest pipe organ and features 20 panels of Thomas Hart Benton's 1933 mural depicting the history of Indiana Noted American Impressionist painter Theodore Clement Steele built the House of the Singing Winds in 1907 on a hill in Brown County, east of Bloomington. The property is now T.C. Steele State Historic Site. My camper. I wasn't getting enough use out of it to justify the money I had tied up in it, so I sold it three or four years ago. Probably just as well, considering what it would cost to run the four-ton beast now and the increased cost of camping in state parks. Brown County comes as a surprise to those who, when they think of Indiana, envision endless miles of mostly-flat fields of corn and soybeans interspersed with subdivisions near the cities. These views are from within Brown County State Park. The mostly hardwood forests make Brown County a popular tourist destination during fall foliage season. Spring Mill State Park, near Mitchell, Indiana features a restored early-19th-century pioneer village centered around a working 1817 grist mill with a stone mill powered by a large wheel driven with water from a spring in a nearby hillside. The park has trails, lakes, caves, and an inn noted among local people for good food.

Beautiful! It's a legendary place, but I never knew what it actually looks like.

That's a beehive oven, so called because of its shape. They were common in that era, but most were outdoors, separate from the house. That one opened into the kitchen, and was set up so that the smoke vented up the fireplace chimney. Brick ovens were built heavy to hold lots of heat, and a fire was built inside and kept burning until the entire brick mass was hot. Then, the coals and ashes were raked out and the items to be baked were put in. It took practice to learn how to use one. I did get to Vincennes; that will be near the end of the four-part series. These were shot before I had a digital camera, on Fuji Reala 100 35mm negative film. As I scanned them, I became aware of how much digital photography has changed the way I shoot.

In September 2002 I set out on a road trip. My plan was to fairly-well cover the southern half of Indiana, but there's so much more to see than I anticipated that I barely saw the southwestern quadrant; even then, I skipped several places I would have liked to have visited. Had it not been for a detour early in my journey, I would have missed the rustic charm of Frankton: :wink: I remembered learning in grade school about the mounds near Anderson, and for years I'd been driving past the sign for the exit on the I-69. I decided that this was as good a time as any to stop and look. The Bronnenberg family, early settlers on this land, deliberately protected and preserved the ancient mounds, and probably built this sturdy brick house around 1850, according to most accounts. Recent archeological digs have turned up evidence of other farm structures in the vicinity of the house, along with prehistoric artifacts. The White River flows through the park. In this vicinity it's fairly shallow but looks like there would be good spots for bank fishing. The park contains several prehistoric earthworks. The most prominent and well known one is the Great Mound, a circular knoll surrounded by a trench and then an earth embankment. I camped overnight at Mounds State Park, and the next day I continued on to Conner Prairie Settlement, on Allisonville Road at Fishers, between Noblesville and Indianapolis. Conner Prairie features living history experiences in an 1816 Lenape Indian village, 1836 Prairietown, and 1886 Liberty Corner and Zimmerman Farm. There's more here than can be covered well in a day; I spent all day just in Prairietown. William Conner was a fur trader, Indian Agent and land speculator who settled here and eventually became a state representative from Hamilton County. He built his brick home in 1823. Eli Lilly purchased the Conner Farm, and after restoration he opened it to the public. Conner Prairie is comprised of about 1,400 acres. Lilly selected Earlham College to be trustee for the property after his death, and in recent years that connection has been severed and Conner Prairie Historic Settlement is now a distinct entity. The home has been restored and furnished appropriately for its time, and historic interpreters demonstrate pioneer skills like food preparation here. Doctor's Residence Artisans working here with a wood-fired kiln produce pottery sold in the settlement's gift shop. A covered bridge leads to 1886 Liberty Corner and the Zimmerman farm. This area was under construction when I visited, and not yet open to the public. Next up: Indianapolis Monon Trail and White River State Park

Looks like a pretty lively, interesting event.

Not a bad-looking town for a western Ohio county seat. Definitely beats Paulding and maybe even Van Wert, but I don't know about Lima. Of course, nothing can stand up to Toledo, but that doesn't count because Toledo is actually a Detroit suburb. :wink: Excellent pics; bicycle sounds like a good way to see Dayton.

... and/or as the core of TOD, on one of the Rapid lines.

A savory thread! I dunno! It's hard to beat Milwaukee for that one, where the Bar Association Building has a bar on the first floor;

Back in the late sixties, I used to hang out with a planning consultant who was a big advocate of this kind of stuff as a way to update business districts to look new and modern. The movement also included removing the business signs that hung over the sidewalks, to open up sight lines. The most "successful" of those programs resulted in the creation of main-street pedestrian malls in cities like Kalamazoo, Michigan and Richmond, Indiana. Few attained such a high pinnacle as Hamilton, though! :wink: I went with him in 1968 to Kalamazoo to take photos of the then-new pedestrian mall there, for a sales pitch he was making in Huntington, Indiana. That one was built, and most of the citizens hated its effect on traffic and parking access from day one. It's long gone. I still have those slides from Kalamazoo squirrelled away somewhere. Maybe a post, some day.

Some losses, some wonderful gains! It looks like the Webster Building had a fire before it was demolished. The cladding applied in the sixties and seventies was more often metal than vinyl; usually aluminum, sometimes coated steel on commercial buildings. There's probably some pretty good scrap value in it now.

Nah! You got it backwards, David. We take refuge in our alternate universe because we're innately socially impaired and find it easier than relating to other people. And for you young whippersnapper nerds who think you've got it rough, let me tell you a thing or two. I was a nerd before nerds were a protected class! You've got it so easy now; you can buy all the artifacts of your refuge at Best Buy and the apple store. In my day, we had to make our stuff from tin cans and string and clothespins and things we found in the neighbors' trash. :whip:

Sounds like a public-input meeting about a neighborhood flood control project that I attended a couple of weeks ago.

Great city, great photos!

I was going to say Arizona, but Florida can win if you want. Are we forgetting about Louisiana's romantically gorgeous seat of government?

Gorgeous place. The pics already have a flavor of late summer!

Nice. The campus may not be historic-looking in a traditional sense, but it's green and manicured and has some fabulous views. West Virginia is a gorgeous state.

Pathetic Paulding! That's really scrapin' the bottom of the barrel! :wink: The few people I've know who were from Paulding were all alcoholics. When you see the town, you understand why; there's nothing to do but drink. Paulding's greatest claim to fame used to be a nightclub where Indiana's 18-year-olds would go to get drunk on 3.2 beer and then kill themselves driving home when they missed the jog in the road at the state line.

^A grand structure. There's a rail trestle in Southern Indiana that's not as high (138 feet), but nearly a mile long. I have photos of it somewhere that I'll try to dig up. It's still in service. One of my favorites among the ones I've seen in person is the 1917 Detroit-Superior High-Level Viaduct (now known as the Veterans' Memorial) in Cleveland. It has an eye-pleasing balance of massive strength and soaring grace. This photo was taken from the old viaduct in 1986, before Stonebridge: The bridge was designed by staff members of the Cuyahoga County engineering department and almost all the construction work was done by local companies. Until 1954, streetcars ran on the lower deck.

Why stop halfway to nirvana? I'd prefer a digital back for one of my 4x5 cameras. :-D It's only money; I've been told that I can't take it with me, and refusing to go is not an option. :wink:

Looks like fun, but I don't think I could handle the excitement! :wink:

Nice street-level shots! Baltimore has so much history and good variety in its neighborhoods, in addition to a pretty good bunch of high-quality attractions for historic technology geeks like me; B&0 Railroad Museum, Baltimore Fire Museum, Streetcar Museum, just for a start.

Little bit similar view from 1986:

Wonderful photos!

Great shots, and the best fireworks pictures ever! They need to get corporate sponsors to underwrite the bus service for the event, and just run them free that evening. It would speed the loading of buses and encourage people to ride instead of trying to drive.