Frank O'Bannon was a Corydon native and 47th Governor of Indiana (1997-2003). He served as a Served…read moreas State Senator from Corydon for 18 years. He is known for Creating the first Community College system in state, and being the first Governor to have a computer on his desk. Sadly, he died in office after suffering a stroke. The bronze statue was created by Raymond Graf in 2008 for the city's 200th anniversary. It is situated on the plaza of Indiana's First State Capitol building, and depicts O'Bannon sitting on a granite bench. There is an empty granite bench behind the sculpture. There is a flag pole behind both of those benches, flying the American flag. To the left of the structure is a bronze plaque that identifies the sculpture, its artist, date of dedication and its purpose. To the right and behind the sculpture is three granite pillars, The first is of Lewis McClellan O'Bannon, Frank O'Bannon's grand-father, the second is of Robert Presley O'Bannon, Frank O'Bannon's father. The bronze plaques on their respective columns have a image of their face and lists their accomplishments. The third column has a bronze plaque that lists some of the Frank O'Bannon's accomplishments. Unlike the other two though, it does not have an image of his face. The sculpture is in a nice plaza area in front of city hall. There are tons of free street parking available on the street in front of and surrounding the statue. It is a nice attraction to see if you are in town. Even if you have no idea who Frank O'Bannon is. I sure didn't. You, however, will probably not spend a lot of time there. Anyway, I would recommend coupling this trip with other stops such as Indiana Cavern, the Harrison County Interpretive Museum (which is across the street), the William Henry Harrison Log Cabin (catacorner from) and the Constitutional Elm Stump (in walking distance across the street).

Corydon is freaking adorable…read more A sweet, little downtown Main Street area with adorable shops, historical points, and the most important thing of all....BUTT DRUGS. I like finding new places to hike and visit in my surrounding area and I like taking the scenic route to explore along the way. The Ohio River Scenic Byway goes right through the town. And you should absolutely go out of your way to visit here. If only for a magnet that proclaims your love for Butt Drugs....but also for the charm and the quaintness, and fun local businesses!

Corydon is where the hubs grew up and the in-laws still live. If, like me, you didn't grow up in…read moreIndiana, you probably wouldn't know that this was the first capitol of Indiana. The building still sits on the town square. There are a surprising number of local businesses located in the downtown area. Everyone is friendly and the in-laws know people everywhere we go. I'd probably suffocate in a small town but Corydon is charming to visit. One thing I wasn't used to -- the hills! It is nothing like central Indiana. Lots of ups and downs. Oh, and lots of wineries. That is always a plus, especially when visiting the in-laws. Wink!

I was in Louisville for a whole different other reason and when that cratered I had some time to…read morewander about and ended up here on my way something else that also cratered :-( Located behind the Family Health Center-Portland the U.S. Marine Hospital was opened in 1852 to serve the healthcare needs of boatmen on the region's rivers and lakes. After closing briefly during the war years in the sixties the hospital re-opened with the end of hostilities to attend the sick and injured through the 1930s when the FHC was erected. Over time the hospital fell into disrepair and near collapse. Listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1997 and named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 'Most Endangered' list in 2003 as the last inland U.S. Marine Hospital funds were raised to restore the building. Only the exterior work has been completed to date but it included replacement of the rooftop observation cupula. BTW: no, it's not haunted, give it a rest, old buildings where people are treated for ailments and accidents are not staffed by the undead after normal business hours.

I've been taking a trip down memory lane as I look at old photos, articles, and notes from my…read morethirty years of doing my Tenderness Tour outreach event. As someone who attended a Black college for my undergrad and who has spent a good amount of time immersed in the Black community, I often make it a point when I visit cities and towns to explore sites that are important to the diversity of Indiana. The Leora Brown School is one such site. Located in Corydon, Indiana - the state of Indiana's first capitol - the Leora Brown School is a one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1891 for the sole purpose of educating African-American children. It is one of Indiana's oldest schools established for that purpose and Brown's family largely spearheaded the effort to restore the school. Originally known as the "Corydon Colored School," it was one of the first African-American schools and had its first graduating class in 1897. Leora Brown was one such graduate and she would go on to attend Blaker's Teachers College in Indianapolis. Once she graduated from college, she returned to Corydon and would teach in the school for the next 26 years until the end of segregation (theoretically, anyway). The building has been beautifully restored including a ramp that offers wheelchair access. It's a historical site and cultural center. Part of the original blackboard is still in the building. The state of Indiana has marked the school with a Historical Marker. In 1949, Indiana did move toward desegregation (slowly). In 1950, all public schools were required to be integrated. In practice, this eliminated many teaching jobs for African-American teachers as they had difficulty finding work in formerly all-white schools. This included Leora Brown. The school was restored around 1993. This is definitely a must-see for history buffs and those interested in Indiana's history of addressing racism. Since Corydon has an abundance of history to see, it's a delightful day trip that I would highly recommend.

The Division Street School is a hidden landmark in New Albany! There is not much promotion for it,…read morebut there should be! It documents African-American educational history after the Civil War in southern Indiana and is one of Indiana's oldest segregated schools. In 1885 it became one of the first of hundreds of African-American schools, this school taught up to 60 children ages 1-6th grades until it closed in 1946. In 1999, Friends of Division Street School restored the building and in 2002 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Now the school serves as a museum, and every 4th grader in it county attends class there for a day to gain real-life historical experience. The museum was closed when we visited, however we got to look through the window and read the historical plaques outside. I'm not sure that it is open to the public without an appointment, but would be even a drive-by!

Julius Caesar statue is located inside of the Caesars casino In Elizabeth, Indiana. The casino…read moremany years has transformed from a river boat casino to now just a casino/hotel but one thing has remained the same. Thai statue or Julius Caesar to greet you. Rather large statue of the famed character or figure that is always a popular photo op for people at the casino. Very striking sculpture that some feel brings good luck. You will see some of the more superstitious people finding the statue to touching it for good luck. Overall cool piece tang probably can enjoy good or bad memories depending on one's luck at casino that night. But no doubt it is a iconic figure that is synonymous with this Indiana Casino and hotel.

I came across the statue while we were gambling big money in Caesars in Indiana. I saw the statue…read morejust kind of hanging out in the middle of nowhere on the first floor of the casino and I said hey that looks pretty cool let me go ahead and take a picture of that and add it to yelp. And here it is for all to see

Came here today to see a piece of US history! We were driving from Louisville KY to Horse Cave, so…read morewas able to stop by here. Pre register online for a 5 day pass or you can stop at the visitor center on site to register at their kiosk. We used our passport as the RealID, so it was easy to just apply for a visitor pass. Met an Army soldier at the gate who checked our passes and then we were through.

One of the most iconic and secure military installations [Fort Knox KY]…read more We took a little detour to see Fort Knox before heading to Mammoth Cave National Park. At the entrance we took some fun photos at the signs. I am not a military personnel and the only time I entered a military base as a civilian was in Fairfield CA many years ago at Travis AFB when my brother (US Army) was hospitalized and where he passed away. This Army installation was named after Henry Knox, the first Secretary of War. Fort Knox refers to the United States Bullion Depository which was a separate building from the Army base located at a far distance due to its high security. The impenetrable fortress was just a plain building but nonetheless a sight to see. When someone mentions 'Fort Knox' in a conversation or as an idiom now I can actually say I've seen it! LoL! Very cool. Review #3917

Connecting Louisville KY and New Albany IN…read more This arch bridge connects the west side of Louisville, Kentucky to downtown New Albany, Indiana. We stayed in New Albany where it was more peaceful and less busy and we would cross this bridge everyday when we explored Louisville. State Welcome signs are on both sides when crossing. The bridge is a double-decked design and carries six lanes of traffic (I-64 and US 150) over the Ohio River. We didn't experience too much traffic whenever we crossed over the bridge. Sherman Minton Bridge is toll-free. Review #3893

The Ohio River is a major waterway and Louisville is a big city. As such, there are a bunch of…read moredifferent opportunities for crossing the river between Kentucky and Indiana. The Sherman Minton bridge is a little bit west of downtown and carries I-64 and US 150 between Louisville and New Albany. The bridge is a double-deck through arch bridge. With a total length of 2052 feet and 16 feet above the surface of the Ohio (during normal river flow), it was built in 1962. The bridge is named for former United States Senator and Supreme Court justice Sherman Minton, who was a native of New Albany. Three lanes northbound from Kentucky to Indiana on the upper deck and the same southbound on the lower deck. If there is a pedestrian lane, I didn't spot it. Sixty years old and it kind of shows. Many of the steel guiders appear rusted and while that in itself is not a sign of structural integrity, it definitely doesn't give a warm and fuzzy feeling. Though back in 2011, it was repaired at a cost of nearly $14m and it allegedly provided another 20 years on the bridge's lifespan. [Review 13501 overall, 820 of 2020.]