Indianapolis Off The Beaten Path

Indiana Historical Bureau: ID#: 49.1960.2
County: Marion
Title: Sarah T. Bolton 1814-1893

Marker Text: A pioneer poet of Indiana, author of "Paddle Your Own Canoe" and "Indiana," crusader for women's rights, lived here at "Beech Bank" from 1871 to 1893.

Credit Line: Erected by the Society of Indiana Pioneers, 1960
Directions: 107 E. Sherman Drive, west of Sarah T. Bolton Park, Beech Grove.

2 more images

ID#: 49.1966.2
County: Marion
Title: The Central Canal

Marker Text: Part of a statewide canal system begun in the late 1830's. The Central was projected from Peru to Worthington via Marion and Martinsville. Twenty-four miles were completed in this region. Railroads soon replaced the canals.

Credit Line: Erected by Indiana Sesquicentennial Commission, 1966
Directions: Illinois Street & Westfield Boulevard, Indianapolis.

Indiana Historical Bureau: ID#: 49.1962.1
County: Marion
Title: Camp Morton 1861-65

Marker Text: Site selected by Lew Wallace as training camp for volunteers on old State Fairgrounds in 1861 and named for Governor Oliver P. Morton. Used as a camp for Confederate prisoners, 1862-65. Col. Richard Owen, Commandant.
Credit Line: Erected by Indiana Civil War Centennial Commission, 1962

Directions: 1900 block N. Alabama Street, Herron-Morton Place Historic Park, Indianapolis.

3 more images

To begin with, I think farmers markets are great! They give local people an opportunity to buy from local farmers. It is very important to support the local economy, why would want to buy corn from Iowa when there is plenty in Indiana? I have been to 2 here in Indianapolis, one at 62nd and Allisonville Rd. (open March-2nd wk. October) and the one downtown at City Market on Market St. (open Wednesdays: June-October). Right now it is fall and they have the craziest things, some of the gurds are just for decoration they told me. I was wondering because I wouldn't want to eat those, and i surely don't know how I would prepare it!

Plus, this is a great opportunity to mingle with locals and buy some healthy food if you are on a budget travel!

The link that I have included is to all of the farmers markets in Indiana with locations and open times.

Jill and I kept hearing about and seeing in print the term Athenaeum. We had no idea what it was so we went looking. We finally found it and discovered that it is a brooding large structure that was designed by Bernard Vonnegut (grandfather of noted author and Indianapolis native, Kurt Vonnegut). The Athenaeum was originally called Das Deutsche Haus and was once the center of the city's German life.

It was begun in 1893 and completed in 1898; it is a grand example of German Renaissance Revival architecture. The building has been undergoing restoration work since 1991.

Today, it houses the Rathskeller (the city's oldest restaurant), a branch of the YMCA (the city's oldest functioning gymnasium), a beer garden with a stylish band shell, and the American Cabaret Theatre.

The Athenaeum is mentioned in several of Kurt Vonnegut works and is the setting for a scne in the movie, Going All the Way.

You are able to schedule a tour, but you may also wish to "poke around" on your own after dinner or before a show.

Hours: Monday-Thursday 9-5

Friday 9-4
(Of course, the different establishments within the building have varying schedules.)

If you're the type that likes to explore cemeteries, there's one in Indy I happened upon.

It's a small plot, right next to I-465 and E. Washington St.

Its small size would imply a family plot, but the names are quite varied, so I don't think it's just family.

Most of the markers (the ones that could be read) are around 100 years old or so.

Dir: Exit on E. Washington, go W to traffic light. Turn left on S. Old Trail Rd. Follow 1/4 mile to cemetery on L.

Please click the photo; it is PANORAMIC

On our Spencer, Indiana, Adventure, Jill tells the background of why we went to Spencer in the first place:

"My ancestors left Monroe and Owen counties in Indiana in the 1850s and lived in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas before settling in Oklahoma. However, the house where my great-great-great grandfather, Rev. Leroy Mayfield, had lived is still found near Bloomington. I had an address, so Dee and I went to find the house and the nearby cemetery where Leroy and his family were buried.

I had tried to contact the present owners, but did not succeed. However, we found the house and photographed it from the car. Next, we traveled down the road to find the family cemetery. I spotted a few headstones through some trees. One of my landmarks for the cemetery was a gravel pit. We found that the gravel pit was still in very active use. We parked carefully out of the way of the trucks and carefully crossed the road to a trailer that stood in front of the cemetery.

A woman greeted us cheerfully and replied that we were welcome to visit the cemetery. She warned us about a downed tree, but didn't mention the barbed wire. That wire didn't stop either of us.

I dashed about reading stones and finding familiar names. I photographed a number of the stones. They were not in good condition, but I've seen worse abandoned cemeteries and was delighted to view the home and final resting place of one of my more interesting ancestors.

Rev. Leroy taught himself to read the Bible and became a Baptist circuit preacher in the 1830s. According to the history books, he was involved in the formation of Indiana University."

Yet, Jill and Dee continue the adventure...

One of our side trips was to Spencer, Indiana, which proved to be a great adventure. Here, in Jill's words is what happened:

"I'm a genealogist with Indiana roots, so one day of our trip involved genealogy. I wanted to see a distant relative that I had phoned, written, and e-mailed some years ago. When I contacted her and asked if we could meet at the Spencer, Indiana, genealogy libray, she replied that she and her husband would like to have Dee and me come to lunch at her country home so we could talk about our family research.

My distant cousin and I re-established our relationship (we are related in two family lines) while Dee toured the lovely house with my cousin's husband and talked gardening. I think we both had a wonderful time.

I found some information at the Spencer Library's genealogy room that filled in a blank space in my family history. I must add that this small town's genealogy area equals or surpasses those where I volunteer in suburban Chicago. Much of the material printed by the genealogy society is also available on the web under Owen County genealogy.

Note: I took this photograph at Vivian and Jack's home in Spencer, Indiana, while Jill and I were on our "genealogy adventure.