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.

I did not visit the state park. This was simply a visit to check out this pretty darned cool…read moretwo-lane covered bridge that is at one entrance to the park. You don't have to enter the park to view the bridge. It was built in Putnam County in 1838 and was moved 130 miles to here Brown County in 1932. It would otherwise have been demolished to make way for a more modern bridge. This bridge is the oldest covered bridge still standing in Indiana and the only two lane covered bridge. The bridge span is 110 feet and no, it did not have clearance for my Sprinter van. If you're planning on visiting the park in an RV, you need to use the other entrance to the west. There is no pedestrian lane. [Review 20537 overall - 81 in Indiana - 1518 of 2023.]

Indiana is a northern state and was never a slave state. But there was still discrimination and…read morethis marker is tribute to a turning point in that, a movement towards equality in college sports. The marker is on the campus of Indiana University and is hard to miss. On the front, "Segregation was rampant when African American Bill Garrett led Shelbyville to 1947 state high school basketball title. At the time, an unwritten rule barred blacks from Big Ten basketball. Faburn DeFrantz and Indianapolis black leaders worked with IU president Herman B Wells to give Garrett a chance at IU. Garrett's 1948 varsity debut directly challenged Big Ten ban." And on the reverse, "Garrett's IU years saw parts of campus desegregated, but in the Big Ten he never played with or against another black player. He graduated in 1951 as an All-American, with IU's career scoring record. His achievements helped create opportunities for other black players in the Midwest. Named coach at Indianapolis Crispus Attucks in 1957, his team won the 1959 state title." The marker was erected in 2016 by the Indiana Historical Bureau and Indiana University. It is marker number 53.2016.1. [Review 20568 overall - 105 in Indiana - 1549 of 2023.]

The Historical Covered Bridge was hard to find. There is NOT a lot of signage, so keep your eyes…read morepeeled. It is located just off Route 450. There is some parking there. The covered bridge is no longer in use. The local heathens have used paint to write graffiti all over the inside and on the 2 entrances of the bridge. Really defacing this beautiful old red covered bridge. I am on a mission to see the over 90 covered bridges in the State of Indiana and was very upset that the locals have done nothing to preserve or police the bridge area. The bridge is over a 120 yrs and the town has turned it's back to the history of the bridge...it is a crying shame.

One of the longest historic covered bridges in the state is to the southwest of Bedford near…read moreWilliams, IN. The road to the bridge is quite winding and though GPS tells you it is not far, that it measures a straight line, not the slow and actual mileage. So, be prepared for the trip to take a bit longer than you expect. Once you get close to the bridge, there is a small road that passes under the railroad trestle and leads south. There is another small road on the left that leads to the bridge which is quite visible by then. Parking is available at the base of the bridge which is closed off to vehicles. The bridge has been restored on the outside with fresh paint and a nice sign over the entry identifying it as Williams Bridge 1884 with an oddly listed occupancy limit. I didn't see any other information on site to share the history of the place. As mentioned in other reviews, the site is frequently falls prey to vandals who spray juvenile/stupid graffiti all over the blacktop approach and on the floor of the bridge. Seems a shame that this small town can't seem to figure out who is doing the damage and make them responsible for clean up costs. The bridge spans 402' and is a treasure that once lost, can't be replaced. I hope someone in the area can champion bringing the rest of the site up to the quality of the new look of the bridge itself. Review #2654

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.

I learned a lot when I was in Bloomington exploring with my mother-in-law. We came across a lot of…read morecool designs that she told me about growing up in Bloomington. This is a railroad dedication that used to be a railroad going through the city and they decided to turn in to a park and a memorial with statues and a road to walk on and different tidbits and things like that

Beautiful fountain along Jordan Avenue by the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University…read more Especially wonderful at dusk or early evening when the fountain is illuminated which separates it from the building.

After finishing a trip to the Mathers Museum of World Culture, my wife and I selected a doorway…read morethat leads to the museum portion of the IU Archaeology department. They share the same building and although there is a separate entrance from the outside, we found it easiest to simply go through the doorway. Note that we didn't see anyone monitoring the museum during our visit, so we just browsed on our own. The museum is part of a larger area which includes a research library and even more exhibits in the central lobby area of the upstairs portion. (Note we did not explore the lower floor which looked off limits.) During our visit, we saw a lot of informational window booths with facts and artifacts that have been gathered from our state. There is a strong connection between this facility and the Angel Mounds in Evansville. There are several displays with information about the Angel Mounds and other mounds which were shaped like snakes, or marching bears. There are also windows with info on artwork inspired by animals, stands showing tribal shields with info, and science facts about animals that have lived in our state. The museum is unique in what it offers, but I understand that it won't appeal to everyone. But considering it is free and puts things into understandable relationships, it does offer value to those who may be interested in local history and/or nature. Review #2205