Pierre Moran -Woodland Crossing- was supposed to be saved

Ted Shideler Leave a comment
Read time: 5 min.

Last I checked in on Elkhart’s old Pierre Moran Mall, the future of what’s now known as Woodland Crossing seemed to be shifting: city officials announced plans to purchase the stagnant site for $5 million. The plan intended to transform the property into a new “neighborhood hub” with expanded healthcare and job training services through a partnership with Heart City Health and Goodwill Industries1. Back in April, I drove up to Elkhart see what the site looks like today.

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Indiana’s Pulaski County Home

Ted Shideler 5 Comments
Read time: 5 min.

Before Pulaski County ever built a county infirmary, it left the care of its poor to the lowest bidder. Residents competed for contracts to house the county’s most vulnerable, with the cheapest offer winning. For some, it meant a safe home and compassionate care. For others, it meant a life of exploitation as unpaid laborers in the very homes entrusted with their welfare1.

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The best breakfast is a Mac’s breakfast. Lunch isn’t bad either.

Ted Shideler 14 Comments
Read time: 9 min.

Whether you’re craving biscuits and gravy, a three-egg omelet, a western skillet, or warm cinnamon-raisin biscuits buried beneath a blanket of icing, Muncie’s fast food connoisseurs know exactly where to go for breakfast. Around here, the gold standard doesn’t come on fine china. Instead, it arrives piping hot in a humble foam takeout container from Mac’s! For generations, the best breakfast in town has been a Mac’s breakfast.

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Union Township’s Whippoorwill schoolhouse in Huntington County

Ted Shideler Leave a comment
Read time: 3 min.

A schoolhouse serving District 3 has stood at the corner of Old Fort Wayne Road and East Lamont Road in Huntington’s Union Township since at least 1866, when it appeared just north of the Wabash & Erie Canal on land owned by the Silvers family1. The building was commonly known as Whippoorwill2. 

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More updates as Muncie Mall meets its maker

Ted Shideler 10 Comments
Read time: 7 min.

I’ve spent the past year documenting the slow destruction of one of East Central Indiana’s most recognizable retail landmarks- Muncie Mall. I stop by to see what’s changed as often as I can! Sometimes the differences are dramatic, like the demolition of old cinema. Other times they’re more subtle. My latest visit found plenty of those transformations.

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Juan’s Mill Street Place is better than the original

Ted Shideler 2 Comments
Read time: 7 min.

I’ve written before about Juan’s Mexican Grill & Bar in Chesterfield, the restaurant inside a former Ben Franklin store that’s become my favorite spot. When Juan’s announced that it had purchased another local institution -Gaston’s venerable Mill Street Inn- I was intrigued! The new place was closer to my house, but the real question was whether it could capture the magic of the original. It took me a couple of visits to find out, but I think it did. In fact, it even improved on it.

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The ancient Chrysler Enclosure

Ted Shideler 6 Comments
Read time: 6 min.

I’ve visited five or six Native American mounds and earthworks over the years, but I’ve deliberately avoided writing about them. There’s a lot to unpack, and I’m keenly aware that I’m not an expert on Indigenous cultures. It’s an easy subject to oversimplify or get wrong, but New Castle’s Chrysler Enclosure is too fascinating to ignore: without any exaggeration, it may be 2,000 years old. 

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