The Phillips, or Arabia covered bridge, carries Arabia Road across Rocky Run Creek (alias Big Pond…read moreCreek), This four segment King Post Truss design was put up in 1909 by J.A. Britton. It is one of a dozen covered bridges that he built in Parke County, and it has the distinction at 43 feet in length of being the shortest of the 31 surviving bridges. In the National Register of Historic Places since 1978, it is #22 on the Parke Country Covered Bridge Map. You will find it about six miles west of Rockville, just off US 36.

One of the smaller covered bridges of Parke County can be found on the "Brown" Route designed by…read morethe County for exploring their multiple bridges. The Phillips Covered Bridge is only 60 feet in length and spans 39 feet over Rocky Run. Though it has the standard Parke County colors of red walls, with white faces and black lettering, the bridge is a rarity in these parts. It doesn't use the standard Burr Arch-truss support system. Instead, it uses a multiple Kingpost through truss system. No long curved arch in this one. Just lots of sturdy vertical beams. To view this drive through bridge, take US 36 west from Rockville to CR W 40N (about 4.5 miles). Take that to about a third of a mile to Arabia Road. The bridge is about 400 feet to the south. The road is paved! The bridge is less than a mile away from Sim Smith Covered Bridge which is further west on W 40N. Review #3215

As part of managing my father's estate after his death, I've dealt with a lot of the local…read moreresources in Hendricks and Putnam Counties. Clear Creek Conservancy District was established in 1971 to provide wastewater collection and treatment to Heritage Lake on the line of Hendricks and Putnam County. It specifically services the subdivisions of Heritage Lake - Gettysburg, Jefferson Valley, Lincoln Hills, Mill Springs, Patriots Landing, and Victory Hill. The district also maintains Heritage Lake's dam and spillway. My primary contact with Clear Creek came because prior to selling a home in Heritage Lake, one must conduct an I/O report essentially assessing the health of one's sewer. This appears to be a fairly new requirement as almost no one I knew actually was aware of it and most didn't even know what it meant. Clear Creek doesn't maintain regular office hours, however, I found the pretty responsive with my questions once I figured out how to contact them. They do have a website, which I added to this listing, and they are active. The person I contacted explained the required survey and was able to recommend a couple possible people to do it in a timely manner. I hired one of the two people recommended - it was done quickly, professionally, and accurately. As seems to always be true with these smaller, more rural organizations, rates are a bit higher. Once they received the required survey, they forwarded it to the title company I was working with to help close the sale - however, there was some confusion and they didn't get it (or perhaps the wrong person did). I ended up having to send it in myself. However, I really liked these folks land I appreciated their assistance. I appreciated the help with resolving a key requirement of selling my parents' home. While I won't say they were the fastest, they were friendly and helpful and accurate. I was definitely impressed.

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.

The town of Roachdale is a little quirky, but with a strong sense of history. The town hasn't…read morechanged much since the early 1900's. The hardware store is still original, but with new owners. There is a sidewalk with a painted red square which memorializes a murder of a local resident in 1891. He was murdered for having an affair with a married woman by her enraged husband. The local library, a Carnegie structure, has remained independent of the County's library system. The building is in mostly original 1913 condition. It is the library that brought me to the town. The people are friendly. I'm not sure I'd call it a destination town. But Roachdale would be a great place to film a movie.

I found information about Roachdale I had forgotten.I lived at Heritage Lake in Putnam county 1994…read moreto 2011.. My son went to Bainbridge Elementary school then North Putnam High School We had a neighbor who had a doctor's office in Roachdale In.His name was Doctor Ray Howell.He lived on the same street we lived on at Heritage Lake.I was in his doctor's office a few times.I he to tell something he was the Christian family Physician I ever met and his words are with me everyday.There was a store on the counter to a building next to it.we went into this building and he Baptist me.That was years ago I can't forget him I cry Everytime I think about that evening.He lived across the street first house.We lived on the left side of Revere CT.He touched me very much .I will never forget him and that everything.

Coatesville-Clay Township Public Library is your standard small town, rural library in Indiana…read more While a 3-star review sounds a bit negative, it's honestly not. This library serves its community well, has friendly employees (though a bit guarded toward newcomers), and is perfectly fine in most ways. It's simply a smaller library with fewer bells and whistles. I got to know this library a bit during the time when I was dealing with my father's hospice and after his subsequent death. In Indiana, smaller libraries can often make us think of the historic Carnegie libraries. This isn't that. This is located in a smaller building. I believe the library has been around since 1911, though certainly not in this building. Coatesville is a town of 2,256 residents. The library has 21,385 volumes and an annual circulation of just over 8,000. They hold special events like most libraries (for example, story hours). The couple times I've been here, it's been super quiet but relaxed. The library offers free wifi, free notary service (by appointment), $1 per page faxing, $.10 per page copies, and there's a meeting room/kitchen available for event rental ($125 plus deposit). This isn't a destination library. It's truly a community library and it serves it's community well. In Indy, it seems like every library is getting upgrades and all prettied up. This is a smaller library that may not have all the razzle-dazzle, but it's a vital presence in the Coatesville community and it does that well.

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

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.

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!