I’ve been revisiting some of my favorite artesian wells after I noticed that one had stopped flowing the way I was accustomed to. Last Sunday, I made a stop at the old Gernand-Thompson well in Delaware County’s Harrison Township. The good news? It was flowing as strongly as ever. The surprise? A massive fallen tree had crashed down, barely missing the well! It’s crazy to think how close it came to being buried or damaged, but for now, the Gernand-Thompson well is still holding its own against time and nature.
The Gernand-Thompson well is a hidden gem along Lee Pit Road. Sitting inauspiciously just half a mile north of State Road 332, it’s believed to crown what was once a staggering 1,800-foot-deep gas well1. It looks like it stands in the middle of nowhere in my photos, but in reality, it’s barely two hundred feet from the interstate! I can’t help but wonder how many drivers fly past every day without ever realizing it’s there.
That gets me thinking- what other places do I unknowingly speed past without a second thought? There could be an old schoolhouse tucked behind a stand of trees, another flowing well, or even the remnants of a forgotten road that once led travelers in a different direction. I’m obsessing about all those places as I write this.
In 1982, a reporter from the Muncie Evening Press named the artesian well near the highway after the land’s longtime owners, Orville Gernand and Tom Thompson. Water surged from an eight-inch pipe decades earlier, but eventually, it faded into an unremarkable burble. The well’s decline didn’t go unnoticed- by 1982, the county board of health deemed its water unsatisfactory.
For as long as I’ve known it, the Gernand-Thompson well has been topped with an old fire hydrant in the middle of a pool. On Sunday, water gushed from three sides, as it always has. Unfortunately, getting a drink is a challenge.
To quench your thirst at the Gernand-Thompson well, you have to kneel -or even lie down- on a piece of fencing tossed over the pool like a makeshift bridge, then stretch out over the water to catch some in your cup or down your gullet. I managed it, took a sip of the cold, crisp flow… and I’m fine. For now, at least.
I’m relieved the well is still flowing. Over the years, miscreants have treated the site like a dumping ground by littering it with trash and debris. Nature nearly did what vandals haven’t, though- that massive fallen tree came dangerously close to taking the well out! If it had landed just a few inches differently, the results could have been catastrophic for this little-known landmark.
Fortunately, they weren’t. My latest visit to the Gernand-Thompson well was a stark reminder of just how fragile these hidden places truly are, even when they appear timeless. Weather, neglect, and careless visitors can all take their toll, slowly wearing away at what remains. Yet, for now, the well endures by standing firm against both the elements and those who might not appreciate its significance. Here’s hoping it continues to hold its ground for years to come.
Sources Cited
1 Gerhart, L. (1982, September 18). Artesian about in Delaware County – wells, that is. The Muncie Evening Press. p. 3.
2 (See footnote 2).
