Read time: 3 min.

We’re about halfway through 2024. So far, this blog has surpassed the views and readership totals from this time last year. I’m excited by the number of people who have found my peculiar obsessions compelling enough to stop by! In the spirit of an NPR membership drive, I wanted to give an update on your philanthropic efforts. Unfortunately, I don’t have any tote bags to mail out.

You and I share some esoteric interests. You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t! Whether they have to do with old schoolhouses, flowing wells, courthouses, road alignments, or whatever else, I’m glad we’ve made that connection. It’s not often that I stumble across someone like you live and in person. Because of that, little validates what I do here than when you connect with a post enough to like, share, or comment on it.

Occasionally, I receive a message from someone asking how they can bump their support up another level. If that’s you, clicking the “Buy me a coffee” button I stick to the end of every post will take you to Ko-Fi. It’s a free, secure service that lets you send me a tip in $3 increments. 

I’m fortunate to be able to pay to publish my work here now, but that hasn’t always been the case. In years past, I struggled to cover a blog’s operating costs before an internet friend unexpectedly stepped up and subsidized my work for a year! He really went above and beyond, and I appreciate it to this today.

After I started this blog, I realized I had three options to help pay for things: run ads, start a Patreon, or put my content behind a paywall. None of those choices appealed to me whatsoever, but then I discovered Ko-Fi. The metaphor is coffee, but your $3 tip actually helps fund hosting costs and the subscription services I use for research. So far, Ko-fi has been a great help. Readers and fellow bloggers have contributed a hundred “coffees,” or $300. This blog incurs other expenses, but $300 is enough to cover my domain and hosting costs for two years!

I’m continually blown away by the response, and I thank you if you’ve contributed. Unfortunately, my hosting expenses may increase soon. Depending on how the rest of the year goes, 2025 might be the year I pull the trigger and jump up from WordPress Explorer to the WordPress Creator plan. Upscaling my plan would triple my annual payment, but it’d also quadruple my storage, help me reach a larger audience, give me better spam management tools, and provide a boatload of other benefits.

Whatever my decision, I appreciate your readership and contributions. Whether you buy me a coffee or not, I’m glad to have the chance to share my unique passions and research with you! I’m grateful for your support and partnership as we continue to bring parts of obscure Indiana history out in the open. Thanks for being part of it! Also, thanks to Ko-Fi for providing such a sweet service for creators like me.