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

Nice photos! The Conner Home is wonderful.

 

And this brick dome-like structure is awesome!

 

Did you made it to Vincennes?

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.

^Thanks for the information. I'll have to keep my eye out for more beehives.

 

On our way back from St. Louis about six years ago we ended up in a Super 8 Motel in Vincennes (don't ask). I think we stopped at their Walmart and McDonalds the next morning (again, don't ask).

 

The oldest city in Indiana (and Red Skelton's hometown) and this is all I we saw. :lol:

I went to Conner Prairie I would guess in 1987.  It was a school field trip.  Ah, memories.  Nice pics Rob.  I don't remember that bridge so I am thinking that built with the new development?

Beautiful

superb. i love stuff like that old silo. and the covered bridge. and nice catch on the beehive oven too.

 

Beautiful!

There's a similar-themed place on the northwest corner of Des Moines, Iowa, called Living History Farms, that's very authentic and well-executed. I visited there in 1995; I need to find the negs and scan them.

 

I went to Conner Prairie I would guess in 1987.  It was a school field trip.  Ah, memories.  Nice pics Rob.  I don't remember that bridge so I am thinking that built with the new development?

 

Conner Prairie has seen a lot of changes and additions. I think you might enjoy a return visit, and right about now is a good time of year to visit, especially on a weekday when it's pretty quiet and slow-paced.

 

I think the bridge came from a county road near Fort Wayne, and was replaced on its original site because development and heavier vehicles rendered it inadequate to serve the traffic. I took the photos in 2002, and I think the bridge had been reconstructed there recently as part of Liberty Corner, the 1886 settlement. I haven't been back since that part was opened.

 

superb. i love stuff like that old silo. and the covered bridge. and nice catch on the beehive oven too.

 

The silos are all that remain of the grain elevator/feed mill/farm store that was the reason a lot of those villages existed. That day was oppressively hot and muggy, and it never occurred to me to look around for evidence of a long-abandoned rail line; most grain elevators were built with rail access for shipping farm supplies in and grain out.