Indiana Byways July 18 ~ 22, 2013
Journal kept by Susan Hanes during a five-day trip to Indiana from July 18-22. Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, copyright 2013.
Indiana Byways July 18 ~ 22, 2013
A visit to the Lilly Library at the University of Indiana with members of the Caxton Club was our reason for driving to Bloomington, and we decided to extend the trip to see more of Indiana. In rolling Brown County, we passed covered bridges and small towns with names like Bean Blossom, Stone Head, and Gnaw Bone. We saw extraordinary buildings by world-class architects in Columbus. We enjoyed the collections at Indianapolis Museum of Art and toured the house and gardens of the Lilly Estate. In Auburn, we were impressed by the craftsmanship of some of American’s finest cars at the automobile museum. In five days, we learned that there is much more than cornfields in Indiana.
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Thursday, July 18
To
Story
We were on Lake Shore Drive by 8:30 in spite of a broken water pipe and a visit from the plumber before our departure. Over the Skyway and onto I-65 through Indianapolis; exited on 46 west to Nashville, IN, immediately encountering rather startling scenery as we drove through the rolling hills of Brown County. One usually thinks of vast cornfields when one thinks of Indiana, but Brown County somehow escaped the ancient glacier that rolled down the Midwest and flattened the topography into rich farmland. It is an area of layered hillsides and thick forests that because of its rough terrain, was cut off from the growing industrial towns of the 19th century. The rustic people lived in log cabins and kept to themselves. Eventually the area was discovered by artists and bohemians who, weary of urban life, decided to take up residence there. In the early 20th century, Nashville was home to a group of American Impressionists, but little remains of those artists dressed in berets and silk handkerchiefs; we were greeted with two fudge shops and a T-shirt hut as we drove into town. It was no easy feat to find a parking place, but eventually we found a spot up the street from the central intersection. As we got out of the car, noted that the temperature on the dash registered 101F. Nonetheless we bravely trudged around town, taking pictures of what would have been charming buildings that were often obscured with baskets, painted saw blades, and old furniture. Nashville was actually pretty much as we’d expected it would be. Nice folks in the shops that we ducked into to cool off, but it was too hot to shop. 2
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Nashville
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Retrieved the car a couple of hours later and drove north, along a winding, forested road to the hamlet of Bean Blossom. There we turned off and found an authentic covered bridge, dating from 1880. Photographed several carved hearts that surrounded lovers’ names.
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Brown County
The welcome mat is out
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Retraced the way to Nashville and followed a wood shaded road 14 miles south to Story. This hamlet (population 3 plus a ghost) is even beyond the reach of Google Maps. There is no cell coverage either. The Story General Store has been in operation since 1851, although the present structure was built in 1916, a year after the original one burned down. The building is covered with old signs and highlighted with matching Standard Oil gas pumps that flank the flaking front door. The Old Mill next door was once used to grind the grain for a moonshine still until the sheriff put an end to that in the 1930s. We are staying in the Blue Lady Room, named after the cheeky occupant in white robes whose behavior has
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been observed and recorded in guest books for years. It was fun to read the notations of previous guests in the room; some were pretty racy, but all were in the spirit of good fun. Went below to the bar for wine and chatted with Daniel, the bartender, a graduate of the IU whose day job is a web designer. Although the artichoke dip and homemade crackers were wonderful, our dinner, supposedly featuring bountiful local produce, was disappointing. Walked in the garden after dinner, taking pictures of the flower garden; I took photos of a Monarch butterfly that just posed and posed. Early to bed with the hope that we will have our own encounter with the Blue Lady to relate in the book.
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We turned out the lights early, leaving on the blue light, of course, in order to give the Blue Lady plenty of time to make an appearance. Shadows on the walls and a feeling of the air being moved (or was it just the air conditioner cutting on?) put us in a mood of anticipation. We slept fitfully and the night seemed somehow longer than usual (probably because we had gone to bed too early). Around two o’clock, I awoke to semi-consciousness with a sense that the air was somehow heavier and smelled faintly of some ancient, dusty fragrance. The blue light shone steadily; all was calm and I went back to sleep. Had she come? It was pleasant to think that perhaps she had, as she continues to silently look after her visitors, night after night. 22
Friday, July 19
To Bloomington
Breakfast at 9:00 at the same table as dinner last night. Signed the book in the Blue Lady room and loaded the car. Saw the cutting garden for the restaurant, safely guarded by a couple of scarecrows, as we drove back on the winding, wooded road toward Nashville. A couple of miles along, found the gold clapboard house a little off the road that we’d missed on the way to Story and saw the Stone Head out front, planted in a bed of impatiens. The House at Stone Head is owned by Mike Kelley, who fulfilled a lifelong dream to “someday live amongst the hills and hollers of beautiful Brown County.” The statue was carved from sandstone in 1851 by Henry Cross, a tombstone carver, as a direction marker. Mike’s wife was watering flowers when we drove up and offered to take our picture, which we accepted. Jake noted that the statue is probably her window to the world, as she told us that she takes photos of visitors three or four times a day. Passed through Nashville and then continued west to Bloomington. It was a clear sky on what was purportedly the hottest day this year. 23
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“It has seemed to me that the greatest of all arts is the art of living.� T.C. Steele
“The House of the Singing Winds” Home of T.C. Steele 26
1907
Passed through Nashville and then continued west to Bloomington. It was a clear sky on what was purportedly the hottest day this year. Just outside of Bloomington, turned off at a sign for the T.C. Steele home site. Two miles down a narrow country lane brought us to the home of Theodore Clement Steele (1847-1926), a noted Indiana artist and member of the Hoosier Group of regional impressionist painters. We joined a small tour led by a retired local man who explained how Steele was inspired by the picturesque scenes that he encountered in Brown County. In 1907, Steele and his second wife, Selma, purchased property in the county and began construction of their home, which they named "The House of the Singing Winds." They built a large studio to accommodate Steele's work and landscaped the surrounding hillsides to enhance the beauty of their property. I liked his work; especially his impressionist landscapes inspired by the area. Our guide explained how the locals—he called them “rustics”—were amazed by Selma’s built-in cupboard, since they all lived in log cabins. They were also somewhat bemused by the Steele’s substantial collection of books.
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Spent roughly an hour there, putting us into Bloomington at 12:30. Had anticipated driving around campus but thought it best to park and walk up to the cul-de-sac where an art museum and the auditorium flanked the Lilly Library. Ducked into the auditorium to see the 1933 murals painted by Thomas Hart Benton, “A Social History of the State of Indiana,” tracing the state’s progress in commerce and the arts. As we entered the library, were greeted by Joel Silver, the Director of the Library. Before the rest of our Caxton group arrived for Joel’s presentation on the “Grolier 100” and other treasures of the Lilly, we filled out forms in order to visit the reading rooms to determine if there was any Wilkie Collins manuscript material there. I was pleased to find four letters, and can’t wait to find out if I have noted them before, once we get home. One of them is from December 1873, at the time that Wilkie was on his American tour. At 1:40, we joined Caxton coordinator Jackie Vossler and fellow Caxtonians who had come down from Chicago for this field trip to the Lilly. Joel greeted us and gave us an overview of the library, describing its founding in 1960 with the collection of Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., owner of Lilly Pharmaceuticals in Indianapolis. Joel described the library’s vast range of significant collections, including English and American history and literature, Latin Americana, children's literature,
fine printing and binding, popular music, medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, and early printing. He beamed as he showed us such treasures as Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the legislation of the first Congress, presented to him by George Washington; J. M. Barrie’s manuscript of Peter Pan; the first printing of Poe’s Tamerlane, and the miniature volume of Goody Two-Shoes. After a break for fresh cookies and cool drinks, we had the opportunity to go through the current exhibition, “The Grolier 100.” This collection of books was originally gathered for an exhibition at the Grolier Club in New York in 1903, and ranges from a 1478 edition of Chaucer to John Greenleaf Whittier’s Snow-Bound, published in 1866. The Lilly owns all but one of the books on the list (Malory’s Morte d’Arthur). Eventually we split up into two groups. Our group enjoyed a presentation by Breon Mitchell, past Director of the Lilly, who shared unique artist books by Timothy Ely and others, and James Canary, Head of Conservation, who displayed beautiful examples of fine contemporary bindings. We switched places with the other group and followed Erika Dowell as she led us through the stacks and workrooms and explained how the staff manages the vast collections in the 50-year-oldbuilding with its significant space and design constraints. By the time we left, our heads were swimming with all that we had seen.
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The Lilly Library University of Indiana
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Joel Silver, Director of the Lilly 35
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Hurried to the Hilton Garden Hotel where we checked in and took quick showers before meeting at Finche’s Bistro for a festive dinner with our group and six members of the Lilly staff. It was a delightful evening and we left warmed by new friendships and the hope of future collaboration.
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Saturday, July 20
Columbus
Early awake and on our way to Columbus, since we had tickets for the 10:00 architecture tour and wanted to get to the Visitor’s Center in time to see the introductory film at 9:30. Columbus, Indiana has a population of only 44,000, and yet is ranked 6th in the nation for architectural innovation and design by the American Institute of Architects, right behind the much larger cities of Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Our volunteer guide—otherwise a parole officer—introduced himself and we followed him outside where he pointed out significant features of the adjacent public library, designed by I.M. Pei in 1969 and Eliel Saarinen’s First Christian Church, completed in 1942. Boarded a bus (unfortunately we chose the wrong side) and for the next 90 minutes, we saw historic and modern building exteriors, landscaping, parks and public art designed by such names as Kevin Roche, Harry Weiss, and Eliel and Eero Saarinen. Waited at the Visitor’s Center for our afternoon tour of the Miller
House, commissioned by industrialist Irwin Miller and his wife Xenia Simons Miller in 1953. The house, with an open and flowing layout, flat roof, and stone and glass walls, expands upon an architectural tradition developed by Mies van der Rohe—epitomizing the international Modernist aesthetic. The house showcases the work of leading 20th-century architect Eero Saarinen, interior designer Alexander Girard, and landscape architect Dan Kiley. Unfortunately, Shirley, our guide, was not very knowledgeable, and made several glaring misstatements even to our uneducated ears. It was raining when we competed the tour of the interior, so our visit to the manicured gardens was limited to peering out from under the eaves. Later, after the rains had subsided, we drove back to several of the buildings we’d visited earlier and took photos of North Christian Church (the “Oil Can”) designed by Eero Saarinen, the nautilus-shaped St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, the post office, and an elementary school designed by Harry Weese.
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Cleo Rogers Memorial Library I.M. Pei 1969
First Christian Church Eliel Saarinen 1942
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The Republic Building Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 1971 44
St. Bartholomew Catholic Church Ratio Architects 2002
North Christian Church Eero Saarinen 1964
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Irwin Union Bank & Trust Eero Saarinen 1954 47
Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary School Harry Weese 1957
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The Commons Gruen Associates 1973 49
Cummins Engine Company Kevin Roche & Associates 1983 50
Columbus Post Office Kevin Roche & Associates 1970
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The Miller House Eero Saarinen 1953 52
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Bartholomew County Courthouse 1874 58
Around 4:00 we arrived at the Inn at Irwin Gardens, a 1910 Edwardian mansion built for the Joseph Irwin family, set in formal Italianate gardens. We were welcomed by Sarah, the young innkeeper, who led us up three flights of creaking stairs to the top floor and the wood-paneled G.W. Irwin room, surrounded by windows on all sides, and maintaining original furnishings and bathroom fixtures. After settling in, descended to the library for wine with several other guests who were in town for their 25th high school reunion. Took a walk through the gardens during a break in the rain and took photos of the flowers, looking fresh after their shower. Dinner at the nearby Tre Bicchieri, a lively Italian place where we enjoyed spicy pasta and a hearty Tempranillo. Walked home under a strangely beautiful sky, filled with black and golden clouds.
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Joseph I. Irwin House Henry A. Phillips 1864 (remodeled 1910) 60
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Sunday, July 21
To Auburn
Tackling the old rib shower this morning was an out of body experience as I was enveloped in clouds of steam and a frightening volume of water in this contraption that resembled a cross between Doc Brown’s time machine and a Freda Kahlo medical device. Breakfast of scrambled eggs and salmon was served on pink Depression glass in the formal dining room. The weather had cleared and the temperature had moderated as we proceeded 60 miles north through downtown Indianapolis, to the Museum of Art. Walked through the gardens to Oldfields, the home of J.K. Lilly Jr., the late Indianapolis businessman, collector, and philanthropist. Percival Gallagher, of the acclaimed landscape architecture firm Olmsted Brothers, designed Oldfields’ magnificent gardens and grounds in the 1920s. The first floor of the mansion retains the original furnishings. It was interesting to stand in the library of the house and think that it was here that Lilly amassed the collection of rare books that he eventually gave to the University of Indiana that we had just visited. The second floor bedrooms had been converted into displays telling the story of the house and gardens and those responsible for creating them. 69
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Oldfields
A path through the gardens took us to the museum. Overall, we were a little disappointed in the collection. There were few significant paintings, as most works were by minor artists; any major artists were represented by minor works. What we particularly enjoyed was the African art and textiles, which were absolutely stunning.
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IMA
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It was around 3:00 when we left, driving northeast to Auburn. A town of 12,000 in the center of rich farmlands, Auburn was once the home of one of the nation’s earliest car manufacturers. From 1900 to 1937, the Auburn Automobile Company made innovative, finely engineered and superbly styled automobiles. We had made the trip in order to visit the Auburn-CordDuesenberg Museum. After finding a convenient Hampton Inn, we went into the center of town and had pizza and local beer at Mad Anthony’s while we watched a large motorcycle group load up and roar away. 78
Monday, July 22
To
Chicago
Leisurely morning, arriving at the automobile museum just as it opened at 10:00. The museum is housed in a beautiful building that was once the national headquarters, administration building, and company showroom of the legendary Auburn Automobile Company. It is staffed by dedicated docents who obviously enjoy what they are doing. They lovingly maintain the cars, driving them regularly and keeping them properly lubricated and polished. We learned that forty percent of the cars displayed are privately owned. Looking at the exquisite examples of American craftsmanship made me smile. We had a field day taking pictures too. The place is obviously something of a pilgrimage site for enthusiasts, as the lot outside was filled with visitors who had come in their own restored cars. 79
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On the way out of town, stopped in at an antique emporium I had noticed last night; I had seen beautiful coffee grinders and kitchen antiques in the window and wanted to check them out; decided that my own collection is superior and I did not need anything else. At 1:00, we started the slow way back to Chicago, taking Indiana and US roads through the cornfields, finally picking up the Indiana Turnpike at Pinhook. Quick ride back until we encountered a major jam up on Lake Shore Drive, but were still back at 1320 by the cocktail hour.
“Ain't God good to Indiana?� ~William Herschell
Itinerary July 18 - 22, 2013 Thursday 18
Depart Chicago 8:20 CST Route: Lake Shore Drive, Chicago Skyway; Indiana Toll Road (I 80/90); I 65; IN 46; IN 135 Sites: Brown County, Indiana: Gnaw Bone; Nashville: walking tour; Bean Blossom: covered bridge, Bill Monroe’s Memorial Music Park; Story: Story General Store Dinner: Story Still Tavern at 7:00, Story Inn at 7:30 Story Inn: Blue Lady Room 6404 South State Road 135 STORY, IN 268 miles
Friday
Breakfast: Story Inn Route: IN 135; IN 46 Sites: Stone Head: T. C. Steele State Historic Site: tour studio and House of the Singing Winds; Bloomington: Indiana University campus, Auditorium: Thomas Hart Benton murals (Social History of the State of Indiana), Lilly Library: Grolier One Hundred Exhibition, Special Collections Dinner: Finch’s Brasserie, Bloomington at 6:15 Hilton Garden Inn: Room 325 245 North College Avenue BLOOMINGTON, IN 37 miles
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Saturday 20
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Breakfast: Hilton Garden Inn Route: IN 46 Tours: Columbus Architectural Tour: 10:00-12:15; Miller House and Garden Tour: 1:00- 2:45 Dinner: Tre Bicchieri, Columbus at 7:30 The Inn at Irwin Gardens: W. G. Irwin Bachelor’s Suite 608 5th Street COLUMBUS, IN 50 miles
Sunday
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Breakfast: The Inn at Irwin Gardens Route: I 65; I 69 Sites: Oldfields/Lilly House and Gardens; Indianapolis Museum of Art Dinner: Mad Anthony Brewing Co. at 7:00 Hampton Inn: Room 215 1020 Smalz Way AUBURN, IN 187 miles
Monday
22 Breakfast: Hampton Inn Route: IN 8; IN 3; IN 6; IN 331; US 31; IN 2; I 80/90; Chicago Skyway, Lake Shore Dr. Sites: Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum Home CHICAGO, IL 178 miles
Total driving on trip:
720 miles
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Journal kept by Susan Hanes during a five-day trip to Indiana from July 18-22. Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, copyright 2013.
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