Perched high on a hill above Strawtown Pike just south of Peru, the old Miami County Home is about as representative of the infirmary trope as any I’ve seen! I’ve been to most of Indiana’s old infirmaries and, although they vary considerably in size, style, and condition, Miami County’s appears to embody nearly everything that makes these places so fascinating to me.
Continue reading “Indiana’s Miami County Home”
When I was a kid in the nineties and early 2000s, playgrounds were just beginning to trade their rickety old personality-filled contraptions for equipment that was modern, standardized, and lacking in character . A few relics fortunately remain, and a favorite of mine is the old rocket slide at Muncie’s Prairie Creek Reservoir. It’s been little more than an enormous lawn ornament for fifteen years now, but the old slide represents a fascinating chapter in playground history- one I’m proud to have experienced the final part of.
Continue reading “Houston, we have a playground”
Does your family have a legendary story about an experience so terrible that it’s been retold for years? I’m talking about the kind of spectacular disaster that was miserable for everyone involved at the time, but has since become folklore. My family does, and it involved a night’s stay at the Floridian Motel in St. Clairsville, Ohio.
Continue reading “Paradise lost: a night at the Floridian”
My hometown of Muncie features a variety of great old signs. One of my favorites is a mile south of town on US-35. It marks the site of the old Ayco Golf & Recreation Center.
Continue reading “Muncie’s Ayco Golf & Recreation features a fantastic sign”
As a coin collector who spent much of 2026 unemployed, I’ve had a blast hunting down this year’s United States Semiquincentennial coinage. I splurged on the Enduring Liberty half-dollar and the controversial dollar, which I’ll cover another time, but the real fun has been finding the rest in my change. Will they ever be worth more than face value? Probably not. Do I care? Not a whit! After what felt like an eternity, I finally got my hands on three of the “Constitution of the United States” quarters featuring James Madison and Independence Hall.
Continue reading “My 65-day SemiQ quarter hunt ended at Panda Express”
On Sunday, my brother John and I experienced something extraordinary: a screening of the silent-film classic The Phantom of the Opera, accompanied by one of only three surviving Page pipe organs still in its original theatrical home. Better yet, that home was a bona fide atmospheric movie palace! The whole experience was every bit as spectacular as it sounds, and the best part is that we nearly missed it. A last-minute change of plans and a remarkable string of coincidences came together to make it happen.
Continue reading “The Phantom of the phenomenal Paramount”
We didn’t need another Asia album. As a matter of fact, you may have never needed Asia’s first blockbuster! Still, I’ll anxiously await new tunes when original keyboardist Geoff Downes gets together with a mix of prog-rock luminaries and a talented newcomer to reboot the band. After all, Yes is a shadow now, Genesis is finished, and two-thirds of ELP is dead. Somebody has to fill the prog-rock void, and this newfangled lineup of Asia has entered the ring. The group will release its new album, Indigo, on November 6th, and the album’s third single, “Arcadia,” recently dropped. Naturally, I’m here to check it out.
Continue reading “Asia’s “back” with a third new single! My review:”
Last week, a Facebook friend sent me a fascinating message. Jane was on a bike ride near Summit Lake in Henry County when she came across an unusual crossroads. One corner featured a plaque commemorating a long-gone school, while another held a brick pillar pointing the way to a tiny cemetery! She hadn’t stopped to take pictures but promised to investigate the next time she camped at the lake. Unfortunately, I couldn’t wait. Here’s what I found.
Continue reading “The intriguingest intersection in Henry County”
A few days ago, news broke that Portage Manor, the former St. Joseph County Infirmary, had been sold to the South Bend’s Saint Thomas More Academy. That’s fantastic news for a grand old building that’s sat vacant for three years1! I’m thrilled that the former county home will find a new purpose, and I’m selfishly hoping its new owners will make it easier to photograph. Driving 150 miles only to find the place inaccessible was a real kick in the pants. I should have planned better.
Continue reading “Indiana’s St. Joseph County Home”
Back in February, I wrote about my search for the second Marsh family grocery store, which once stood in teensy New Pittsburg, Indiana. Only fifty people lived there when Wilmer Marsh opened his store in 19281, and the only image I’d ever seen of the place was a tiny, blurry photo in the Marsh book Lasting Values. Recently, though, I stumbled across a couple of much better views thanks to SHAARD.
Continue reading “A better look at Marsh’s second grocery store”