This beautiful Single Span Burr Arch Truss was the first of the dozen covered bridges built by…read moreJoseph A. Britton in Parke County (1882). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Spanning Sugar Creek, today it sits alongside Narrows Road on the eastern edge of Turkey Run State Park, having been bypassed in 1960. It is #37 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

On the far eastern edge of Turkey Run State Park, Narrows Road crosses Sugar Creek at a high…read moreelevation. Just to the west of the road is a covered bridge that was built in 1882 but was bypassed for preservation and safety. The new road has stairs that lead down to the covered bridge though I didn't see any designated parking. So, be careful pulling off the road to park and crossing to the stairs. The bridge is listed as 121 feet long though I don't know if that is the total length or just the length of the span over Sugar Creek. The bridge features the standard Burr Arch-truss support system and uses the standard red and white colors with black lettering. You can walk through the bridge and because it is no longer used for traffic, you can get some decent views of the bridge as you move around the grounds on either end. Review #3229

You would easily be forgiven for thinking that there's not much to review in Marshall, Indiana -…read morepopulation 274. For the most part, you'd also likely be correct other than the fact that technically Turkey Run State Park bears a Marshall address. But, as you're entering what is called "downtown" Marshall, you're likely going to drive right under a historic landmark - the Marshall Arch. Built in 1921 as a way to honor the town's World War I vets, the Marshall Arch spans SR 236. It's a wooden arch with a span of 51 feet supported by concrete piers. At its highest, it has a clearance of 17-feet and 7 inches. I drove under the arch during my "getting lost" journey through Marshall on my way to Turkey Run. Truthfully, I still don't know how I found my way other than a lucky turn. The arch itself is beautiful - it reminds me of what a college town might have, however, there's no college to be found here. There's also, as is true for most historical landmarks, a plaque commemorating the arch. The arch was the first work of Indiana architect Carroll O. Beeson. It was commissioned by town leaders. Folks are quick to say it's not a "memorial." It's intended to improve the appearance of the town's downtown area, though the dedication did honor the town's WW I vets. The arch was placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1985. It remains in remarkably good shape for a 100+ year-old landmark.

This Single Span Burr Arch Truss design was built by Joseph A. Britton in 1883 to span Leatherwood…read moreCreek. It is located about six miles west of Rockville, just off US36 on Country Road 4. It is normally visited in tandem with the nearby Phillips covered bridge. This was the third of Britton's twelve covered bridges in Parke County, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is #23 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

Southeast of Montezuma, Indiana is a relatively old covered bridge dating back to 1883…read more Fortunately, it underwent some restoration in 1997 to keep it still in service today. The Sim Smith Bridge is about 102 feet in length with a span of 81 feet crossing the Leatherwood Creek. It is a Burr Arch-truss structure with the standard Parke County colors of red and white with black lettering. The good news is the road is paved. The bad news is there isn't a pull off spot, so be careful! The bridge is located on the "brown" route of the Parke County tour trails. To find this bridge, head east from Montezuma along US 36 about 2.5 miles to CR 510W. Head south about a third of a mile and the bridge should be within view on W 40N. You can also find it from Rockville by traveling west 5.5 miles on US 36 the same county road. Review #3216

On the east side of downtown Crawfordsville, you may notice a stretch of land on Wabash Street that…read moreis lined with large estates with beautiful old homes. A great deal of the property was once held by local business man, Isaac Elston. He and his wife raised nine children, many of whom lived along this stretch, including his daughter Joanna and her husband, Henry S Lane. Lane was a lawyer and prominent politician who was a key player in getting Abraham Lincoln nominated for President, and was actually elected Governor of Indiana with his Lieutenant Governor Oliver Morton. In those days, US Senators were appointed and since Lane knew he would become appointed Senator, led the gubernatorial ticket instead of the controversial Morton. Two days after taking office as Governor, Lane stepped down so that he could become Senator while allowing Morton to step into the Governor's position. Seems like wheeling and dealing have always been part of the American Way. Lane is known as one of the most popular founders of the Republican Party as the Whigs were losing power and elections to the Democratic Party. New life needed to be breathed into the party, so a fresh start was needed. Lane, along with others like Lincoln, was a great orator and he was able to bring people together to agree with his ideas. The Lane House/Place/Mansion/Museum (it goes by many names including Antebellum in the description) is a beautiful estate which faces Water Street, but has access from Pike Street which allows you to pull onto the driveway and walk around to the entrance. For $5, you can take a guided tour of the home and see the elaborate collections of historical and political memorabilia. It is open from March 1 to December 1, Tuesdays through Saturdays until 5 p.m. The tours are individually available so you don't have to wait until a set time to start. That allows time to ask lots of questions. So, the tour can last for well over an hour if you are curious like I was. (see website for specifics on prices and other issues.) The house started off modestly, but was added to over several phases as the family grew. The tour starts off with showing the formal entry and music parlor. The opulence is immediately apparent as you see the paintings of family members and a porcelain inlaid cabinet designed specifically for holding piano music. That room connects to the study which is filled with collections of political papers and photos that were collected by Lane. There are many historical items as well, including doctor's medical kits, and many other period items. From there, you enter the formal dining room loaded with more plates and serving specific bowls, plates, and utensils than most people could guess at. Everything had a purpose and though it may seem odd now, was expected of those wishing to maintain the highest social standing. Rounding out the rest of the first floor tour is a less formal room where the children would often play while the adults would meet in the previous rooms. Paintings of the children and a miniature tea set can be seen. Heading upstairs via a custom made stairway (Joanna was quite short in stature), the tour leads you through three bedrooms. There you will see the crib that Joanna and her eight siblings all slept in as infants. Beyond that room is the one selected by Joanna's niece Helen who became the home's owner after Joanna passed away. Helen blew through her inheritance fitting the house with more upgrades (?) and additions. The room is quite bold in appearance. The last room on the tour was the guest bedroom which includes a knocker on the door and a private balcony over looking the yard on the north side. In there, a bed of a man named Whitlock is currently being displayed. Wherever Whitlock went, he had his bed disassembled and put up where he stayed. Must have been a man of influence to make his hosts put up with that eccentricity! The house is filled with family items that boast around a 95% authenticity rating. That is one of the highest I've found in my travels. So, if you want to get a feeling for what a place looked like when the owners lived there, this should be at the top of your list! Review #1388

The woman who was there at the time was very friendly and helpful. Provided us with everything we…read moreneeded. The signs on the route, however, need a little work. I don't know who is in charge of that, but there needs to be a sign at every intersection and some are so faded, they are hard to read. Since some are not on the colored routes, there should be signs to point to them or they will be missed. We had to backtrack several times. We needed up using their map, plus GPS to find the street names and even then it was a guessing game in some areas. We had fun, though.

Although the actual visitor center part of the former depot is small, it does have a lot of…read morebrochures and booklets about the county. The staff member working was friendly and helpful with a good base of knowledge about the attractions and their history. I was able to get several questions answered without having to read through the brochures to find answers. They have convenient parking next to the depot and signs pointing you in the direction of the different covered bridge trails which are given colors. These driving trails correspond to their Parke County map and if you follow the path in the right direction, you will see signs about where to turn on your route. I also liked their website and response times for inquiry too. Not the biggest Visitor Center I've visited in the state, but a place worth checking out before exploring the county on your own. Review #3146

Had a great tour and learned about a great figure in American history. The staff has a done a…read morewonderful job persevering the grounds and it just gorgeous!

Such a great experience! Extremely informative! The museum has many cool artifacts from Lew…read moreWallace's life as well as props from Ben-Hur film adaptations. The study itself is stunning. Our tour guide Tom was extremely knowledgeable and explained the history of Wallace's life and all the objects in the study in a very engaging way! This is a can't miss spot in Crawfordsville!

Walking into this library, I thought it was your run-of-the-mill library. There were books and…read moreplaces to read. There was a teen area with a tv. Public computers offered free legal advice. Downstairs in the kid's area, there was a regular size door for adults and a pint size door for kids that was unique. A nice play area for the kids helped them learn and love the library. There was a pretty awesome tree house down in the kid's area. But when I turned the corner upstairs, things got really interesting. The digital library was housed in a former historic Carnegie Library, now a wing of the library. Tony, the head of the digital media, came out of his office when he heard our gasps to tell us the history of the Carnegie structure. Like many libraries in Indiana, the library in Greencastle was funded by a grant from Andrew Carnegie over 100 years ago. The town provided the land and commitment to maintain and Carnegie paid to build the building. The library, now the Putnam County Public Library, still maintained the original oak woodwork and fireplace mantles of the historic structure. Beautiful stained glass decorated the windows and the sky light. Historical photos of the original furniture (which is still in use today) and staff were on the wall. Tony explained that the Library had maintained and renovated the Carnegie space when they had expanded and modernized in the 1990s. Today, the center house historical information. He also showed us art by the famous Wilbur Kurtz, a former resident and art instructor in Greencastle. I highly recommend a visit if you like history and architecture. Talk to Tony (the staff is awesome). There's plenty of parking near the Library. The new section is fully accessible with restroom facilities. .

"Read.Think.Create!" is part of a six-installation public art trail in Greencastle, Indiana. This…read moreparticular piece is located inside the Putnam County Public Library and is directly over the circulation desk (Fun Fact: The circulation desk is the original Carnegie Library circulation desk). Read.Think.Create! was created by Greencastle Civic League Artists Amy Welch and Heather Wright to celebrate the old and new of libraries. It adds a beautiful energy to this 1902 library that was renovated in 1995 but still retains much of the original furniture and design. This installation is within walking distance of two others. Greencastle, in general, has quite a bit to offer within a fairly small distance. Of course, the city is also home to DePauw University. There's not much else that can be said about this mural as it's simple yet colorful and well-maintained. Putnam County hasn't caught on to the public art scene as much as some other communities, though this six installation trail is fun to experience and definitely worth checking out if in the area. I would not consider Read.Think.Create! a destination public art piece, however, if you're in Greencastle it's worth checking out the library and its art work. While this mural was the first of the six to be envisioned, it was actually completed after the nearby "Greencastle Blossoms." This is free to check out during library hours.

I am amazed this hasnt been covered yet. Greencastle, IN is home of Depauw University. Thats…read moreright, Chicago, I said Depauw with a "w". and it is awesome. there is no better place to spend a weekend (or summer if you are me) running around barefoot and going canoeing, camping etc while still close to town. I love it ! I love the down to earth people here, the good-hearted community and the hard-working locals, as well as the fresh air. I live in Chicago and the suburbs have nothing on Greencastle. The best part though is that like an oasis in all this country-bumpkinism (or hippy-do-da-ism :) is the University! Filled with diversity and fresh faces and minds and movement. What a great balance to the traditionalism of this blue-collar town.