I started collecting courthouse postcards after I wrapped up visiting every historic courthouse in Indiana. Often, the postcards I found featured courthouses that were no longer standing. Then, out of the blue, someone reached out with hopes of publishing a modern update to the classic The Magnificent 92 Indiana courthouse book. He wanted to use my writing, and before I knew it, a proof copy showed up at my door. I mailed him my entire postcard collection -six or seven years ago now- and never heard a peep after that.

I love basketball and probably always will. Here in Indiana, though, it’s a rough time to be fan since the Pacers are off to such a sluggish start thanks to injuries and the Fever aren’t back yet. I’m a fair-weather fan to be sure, but what I like most about basketball is the history behind my state’s zealous participation in it. A trip to Richmond the other day led me past the old gymnasium in Economy, which recently was adorned with an unbelievable mural.

Back in 1966, Yorktown-based Marsh Supermarkets jumped headfirst into the booming convenience-store market. Within four decades, their gamble paid off as Village Pantry had grown into a 154-store network stretching across Indiana and Ohio! Today, many of the earliest Pantries have reinvented themselves as entirely new businesses, each one a tiny relic of mid-century retail hiding in plain sight. Whenever I spot one, I can’t resist trying to snap a photo.