A welcoming small town south of Indianapolis, Franklin’s skyline is punctuated by the imposing Johnson County Courthouse from 1881. The city is rightly proud of this landmark, and it sets the scene for public celebrations all year round, from a strawberry festival in May to a Christmas lighting ceremony. Bordered by Franklin College, which was …
Just east of Indianapolis, the small town of Greenfield is most famous for being the birthplace of “Hoosier Poet”, James Whitcomb Riley. Riley was a giant of American culture in his day, and among his many well-known compositions are Little Orphant Annie (1885) and The Raggedy Man (1888). You can visit the poet’s birthplace and …
Between Gary and South Bend towards the northwest of Indiana, La Porte is a delightful city in the Michigan City-La Porte urban area. Something special about this place is the scenic chain of lakes in the north of the city, beginning within walking distance of the walkable downtown area. These large bodies of water are …
In South Central Indiana, Seymour is a city that grew up in the mid-19th century at the crossing of two railroads. In the 1840s, the north-south Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad connected Indianapolis with the Ohio River. A little later, Seymour’s founder, Meedy Shields encouraged railroad surveyor John Seymour to build the Ohio and Mississippi …
Southeast of Indianapolis, the seat of Shelby County is a small town set around the historic Public Square. Shelbyville was platted some 200 years ago, and there’s so much history on these streets that the visitors bureau has published a walking tour of all the fine architecture in the vicinity. A few miles from downtown, …
One of the oldest settlements west of the Appalachians, and the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in Indiana, Vincennes is a city that was founded in 1732 by French fur traders. At the beginning of the 19th century this was the capital of the Indiana Territory, where the future 9th President William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) …
At this city, east of Indianapolis, you can tap into Indiana’s 130-year love affair with basketball. New Castle is home to both the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the New Castle Fieldhouse, the world’s largest high school gymnasium, with a capacity of 9,325. Founded 200 years ago, New Castle was a major manufacturing center …
On a peninsula at the confluence of the Wabash and Eel Rivers, Logansport developed as a manufacturing center after the Wabash and Erie Canal reached this settlement in 1837. In the early 20th century this was a center for the early automobile industry, home to now forgotten brands like Rutenber and Revere. The Cass County …
Close to the confluence of the Little River and Wabash River, Huntington is nicknamed “The Lime City” for the many quarries and kilns here in the mid-19th century In fact, one of the city’s loveliest features is the enchanting Sunken Garden, which was planted in a former limestone quarry in the 1920s. Forks of the …
Some 45 miles northwest of Indianapolis, the seat of Montgomery County is an attractive city on Sugar Creek, with 200 years of history. Many interesting figures have hailed from Crawfordsville, like Lew Wallace, a Civil War major general, politician, ambassador and the author of Ben Hur. You can visit his home in the upscale Elston …