Now I truly know the meaning behind the phrase, "a feast for the eyes." Samara is one of those…read morehouses where my eyes were on overdrive, just trying to look at every element of this gorgeous property, and absorb all possible details. It's almost overwhelming how beautiful this Frank Lloyd Wright house is. Samara is my first FLW structure that I've had the pleasure of touring. I didn't know what to expect when I signed up: Would it just be me and the tour guide? Surely, there aren't that many people who want to see a house in the middle of a weekday. I was wrong! Our group was at least a dozen people, all enthusiastic about learning more about this special house and Frank Lloyd Wright's plans behind it. Our tour guide was excellent, and gave us so much information about the house, the previous owners, the reason why it was created and Wright's vision for the house. I love when people do things with intention and attention to detail, and that's what's going on here with Samara. No detail of the house is by accident: Everything was carefully planned out. You can tell that Samara is a house that was purposefully made. Photos are welcome on this tour, which is good because I wanted to take photos of everything. You are not allowed in the spaces by yourself, and you have to stay with the group. The tour guide and a couple of helpers lead you through the house and explain all of the features. The tour starts right on time, and is about an hour and a half. But that 90 minutes flies by!

We had a great 90+ min narrated tour. So many stories about the family, the house, and the overall…read moreproperty. Nathan the tour guide/ docent was great and had history and anecdotes for anything our tour asked of him. I came in with limited knowledge on FLW, and came away with a much better appreciation.

When the former White County Court House was destroyed by the horrific tornado of 1974, the county…read morehad the opportunity to rebuild. Not only did they make a new court house, but they also added Constitution Plaza. The plaza has a bit of everything: a Veteran's memorial section in the south east corner; the keystone sculpture from the previous court house; a new pavilion for outdoor events; and a new sculpture on the north east corner. The plaza is brick lined and looks great! The scale is smaller in keeping with the reduced size of the court house. It all seems to work because it was planned that way. The statue of Colonel Isaac White was added in 2015. The statue was created by artists Stephen Maxon and Doris Park who made the life sized bronze. White is the namesake of the county and there is a dedication plaque that tells his story. Very nice plaza for the heart of downtown. Review #2753

Benton County Public Library began as a Carnegie funded library in 1906. The facility was expanded…read morein the early 1970's adding space and accessibility. The library is neat and well organized inside. The historic portion of the building is painted in bright colors and houses children's books and reading area. The original entrance is blocked by furniture. Very little historic original content is present in the facility. A single 1906 letter from Carnegie raising funding to $7500 is framed and hangs in the library. The library is functional with public computers, videos and lots of books. Most of the adult books are upstairs. There is a lot of staff present but they were not engaging. There is free parking next to the building.

I love to travel the back roads, pass corn fields, and happen upon a piece of history. The…read moreLancaster Covered Bridge is interesting as the wooden bridge was built using cast iron abutments. The bridge was constructed over the Wildcat River in 1872 by The Wheelock Bridge Company of Fort Wayne. The bridge stands a couple miles north of Rossville, Indiana. The one-lane bridge has undergone multiple renovations over the years to increase the stability and restore the wood infrastructure. Car traffic is still able to cross the bridge, making it a rare functioning covered bridge. There does appear to be recent damage to the entrance to the bridge. The inside of the bridge is enclosed and lovely. There is no window to observe the creek but I could hear water flowing below as I walked across. There is no pedestrian walk area so you have to watch for cars. There is a informative plaque on the south side of the bridge that describes the construction and renovations. As Ken mentions, there is no place to park. An interesting to see if you are in the area.

Biked past this lonely bridge. Very secluded and quiet and the daffodils enticed me into taking a…read morepicture---just a lovely visit.

Interesting factoid: Carroll County was named after Charles Carroll, who was the last surviving…read moresigner of the Declaration of Independence. The Carroll County Courthouse sits on a square in Delphi, which is the county seat. I like the simplicity of the Courthouse Square. At the southeast corner of the Square is a huge memorial honoring those that fought in the Civil War with the Courthouse behind. Small local businesses and restaurants surround the Square with most architecture original. This is the second courthouse in Delphi. The first courthouse (Victorian Style) was built in 1841 and served the community until 1917. A photo of the original courthouse hangs in the current courthouse. The current Neoclassical Courthouse was designed by the architects of Elmer E. Dunlap Co., Indianapolis. A. E. Kenner completed construction for the opening. The interior of the building is breathtaking. The center atrium is crowned by a magnificent stained glass dome. A beautiful mosaic tiled floor sits beneath the dome. Spiral marble staircases with decorative iron bannisters ascend to the second and third floors. Blue trim sets off the interior. Elmer did a fabulous job. Most of the building is original, including offices and the Circuit Courtroom. The bell from the first courthouse is on display in the lobby. A war honor roll is on the wall. Staff and people I met in the Courthouse were friendly and knowledgeable about the building. The Courthouse is fully operational. The local heath department was handing out free medical supplies. Court was in session. Clerks were available to take various payments. I think there is a museum in the basement, but I missed going down. There's plenty of free parking around the Square. This is a fabulous Courthouse, well worth the drive to Delphi.

The White County Courthouse was constructed by Robert Longardner in the mid 1970's. The building is…read moremodern and is the third courthouse for White County. The second Victorian Courthouse, built in1895, was tragically destroyed by a deadly tornado in 1974. Sadly, eight people lost their lives who were in the historic building at the time of the tornado. A plaque in today's building memorializes these individuals. The White County Building houses county offices and courtroom. There is free parking around the perimeter of the square.

I misplaced my license and dropped by on a Saturday morning right after they opened. All the…read morestations were full, but my number was called quickly. I had my social security card with me and a picture of my license on my phone, so the process was very quick. I was in and out in 15 minutes, not the hour or so I was expecting. There are also self service kiosks in the foyer available 24-7 for registration and license renewals, MVR requests, and other simple transactions. Going to the license branch is no longer a painful experience!

Fast, friendly and very efficient! Got there early and had to wait about 10min to open…read more Once open, didn't take long at all!

This is a beautiful small town library that began its roots as a Carnegie funded library in 1905…read more The history of the facility is captured in amazing detail just inside the front entrance. Carnegie committed $10,000 dollars and the local city council purchased land and guaranteed future funding. C. W. Kendricks of Fort Wayne designed the Neoclassical structure. In 1990, a major addition was added directly behind the original building giving additional space and providing a side entrance with better accessibility. The original features of the building are beautifully preserved. Huge oak columns stand around an amazing check-out counter that has served patrons for 120 years. Works by local artists decorate the walls. Adult books are on the main floor while a children's library is located downstairs. There is an upper mezzanine with historic books and a conference table. The library is tight but well organized with cozy reading nooks. I spoke to the librarian, who was busy giving out rewards for the summer reading program. She was super friendly and her face lit up when I asked about the building. There are public restrooms downstairs. There is limited street parking. They have a nice web site with calendars of special events. The library is within walking distance of the downtown square. If I lived in Delphi, I'd be here everyday.