The Pioneer, Soldiers and Sailors Monument is the focal point on the Courthouse Square in Bedford,…read moreIndiana. She is a carved wonder remembering local heroes through the ages in the heart of limestone country. She looks pretty amazing for turning 100 years old in 2024. This is one of the most impressive monuments that I've seen in Indiana. The names of local heroes are posted around the little courtyard surrounding the monument. There is parking near the base of the monument. A few stone benches surround the statue but sitting on the massive limestone steps seems like the thing to do. The City of Bedford was sponsoring Memorial Day concerts across the street during our visit. Well worth a visit when in the area.

In the home of limestone, it seems fitting that one of the most prominent art pieces in the county…read moreis a multi-layered monument made from that material. Located on the west side of the court house, a monument to Pioneers, Soldiers and Sailors rises in a dedication plaza that seems to be a catch all for everyone/everything someone in the county wants to commemorate. The main monument was erected in 1924 and features the artistry of two sculptors. The base of the sculpture rises above eye level and features four sides, each with a relief chiseled into the limestone. The artist was Charles Dodd. Each of the sides is unique in the theme and each features several human images portraying a scene. Standing atop the square pedestal is an allegorical figure representing Indiana. The robed figure stands 14' and was created by artist Harry Easton. Review #2009

Such a unique feature that Spring Mill has lovingly maintained for visitors to appreciate history…read more I love the feature of having people actually working with historical tools to create historically accurate goods including leather games, leather animal toys/keychains, freshly ground cornmeal, lace masterpieces, and many other items! It was incredible to walk around preserved homes and businesses to see how different life is today.

We had a great time at the Springmill Pioneer Village. Spring Mill is an awesome park that has many…read morethings to see and visit. The Pioneer Village was pretty awesome to imagine that this actually existed all these years ago and this is how people live. I really enjoyed it. It was neat and I would recommendto go there

I came here to visit the famous limestone statue of Joe Palooka that stands outside the Oolitic…read moreCity Hall on Main Street. Oolitic and nearby Bedford, Indiana were thriving communities during the early-mid 1900's due to limestone industry. The quarries in this region produce high quality limestone due to the unique geology. The statue of Joe Palooka is a product of that time. Joe Palooka was a popular comic book hero back during WWII created by Ham Fisher. The Indiana Limestone Association adopted Joe as a mascot as he was considered a "Cornerstone of Freedom" and carved his likeness into 20,000 pounds of limestone. The 10' statue was dedicated by Ham Fisher on June 14, 1948 in the town of Bedford. Over the years the statue has moved around due to vandalism and other factors. Today, he stands outside the City Hall in Oolitic. He wears a boxing cape and has the chiseled features of a 20th century superhero. The statue shows a little damage from hail and vandalism but stands tall as part of Indiana's history. The City Hall is a modest building with a welcoming front porch. Local residents can pay bills and find information here. There is street parking directly out front. The building is accessible through an entrance in the rear. I loved seeing and learning about Joe and recommend a visit.

Cool little view! Of course, the house is fixed up and different people are living here and not…read moreexactly Larry Bird's Childhood Home, but it's a nice thing to check out since this is where he is from. Depending on where you're coming from, you will drive over a nice old bridge! Swing by if you have the chance! Nice view!

My wife and I visited the Grissom Monument on January 10th while we were in Mitchell. I came in…read morewith no expectations, but was thrilled to see a stone recreation of Grissom's Gemini III capsule atop its Atlas rocket. The panels tell the story of this American hero and pioneer while the brick of the retaining wall came from his childhood elementary school. A lovely tribute to a hometown hero and well worth visiting for anyone interested in the history of American space flight.

It is a very informative rocket memorial to this person that grew up there. This is in the heart of…read moretown right off of one of the main street. It's a nice monument for all to check out and I think it's a nice tribute to check out.

This was cool to see. I really enjoyed the pioneer Village when we visited Springdale Park. This…read morewas hammer historical gristmill and we definitely checked it out. Walked around all three floors and thought it was just an awesome thing to say.

Tony and I stopped at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana to see Hamer Spring Grist Mill…read moreThe water comes out of Hamer cave which supplied the water for the Spring Grist Mill and the Pioneer Village. Its not a bad hike back to the cave. Sometimes its underwater. The Historical Grist Mill is three stories tall and well built & maintained. Still in use. Located in Lawrence Co, Indiana. Also known as Hamer Mill, Spring Mill and Bullett Mill. Built 1817 Highly recommend that you visit this site and tour the Grist Mill. Its a museum inside on every level.

Is the respectful, nice dedication and memorial to the veterans of Lawrence County. Is located on…read morethe outside of a golden corral

This place is always a treat to visit. So much history of the space program located at a state park…read morein the middle of Indiana. If you're ever around Spring Mill State Park, this is worth checking out

We were in Bedford, IN recently on a 30th Anniversary outing and I was looking for something to do…read moreon our way back to Louisville, when I ran across the Virgil Grissom Memorial. This. Was. An. Easy. Sell. We're both big fans of our Space History and this is right up our alley. I didn't realize the Memorial was actually *inside* Spring Mill State Park, but no biggie. The park admission fee was $9 for non-Indiana residents. The Memorial is immediately to the right when you enter the park. The Memorial is admission-free and is well-suited for about a half hour visit. During your self-guided tour you'll see a lot of information about Grissom starting with his elementary school on up. There's a lot of memorabilia and photographs and some very done done displays. You'll learn a lot about Gus and how his passion for flight and space travel led to him being the second American in space. The highlight, of course, is the actual Gemini 3 "Molly Brown" space capsule. There's an interesting story about why this was the last space capsule to be named by its crew. At the end is film (about 7 minutes in length) with footage from Gus's career and NASA's story as it relates to him. There are a few bench seats for your viewing pleasure. The film re-starts automatically after 5 minutes. There's a small gift shop with a good variety of items to purchase related to both NASA and Grissom with all items very reasonably priced, and it's attached to what I'm going to guess is the Park's administration offices. The Virgil "Gus" Grissom Memorial was a happy find. We really enjoyed it and hopefully we'll come back to camp at the park some time and visit it again.

Small town flavor at its finest. Love, small towns, love exploring find a new things this is the…read morebulldog breed go Bulldogs.