I have a soft spot for the tiny hamlets, villages, and unincorporated communities most people drive through without a second thought. After my recent post about Reed Station, a reader suggested I tackle another Delaware County community: Shideler. Considering my last name, I’ll try to put my biases at rest and give it a shot.
Continue reading “Welcome to Shideler, Indiana!”
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.
Continue reading “Pierre Moran -Woodland Crossing- was supposed to be saved”
Ever since I visited the old gym in Gaston a few months ago, I’ve found myself with one singular mission: go to each historic gymnasium in every East-Central Indiana town named after a fossil fuel. I recently completed the quest when I finally got the chance to step inside Gas City’s old gym.
Continue reading “Inside the 1924 Gas City gym”
If you weren’t looking for the place, you’d pass right through Reed Station without ever knowing it was there. Like so many Indiana hamlets born of the railroad and sustained by routine rather than size, Reed Station survives today more in memory than in markers. I visited recently and tried to uncover its story.
Continue reading “Welcome to Reed Station”
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.
Continue reading “More updates as Muncie Mall meets its maker”
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.
Continue reading “The ancient Chrysler Enclosure”
I’m a sucker for obscure history, especially when it’s Hoosier history. I love to fall down abstruse rabbit holes and disappear into research vortices that most people don’t bother with! That’s why I’m always excited to meet someone else who’s just as willing to chase their own obscure interest, like Dean Alger. The result, his brand-new book Indiana’s Historic Fire Towers, makes everything richer for those who appreciate the overlooked.
Continue reading “Indiana’s Historic Fire Towers by Dean Alger”
I’m curious about places where people once gathered. That interest often leads me to schoolhouses and courthouses, but I’ve got a soft spot for movie theaters, too. They don’t even have to be particularly old to catch my eye, and case in point is the long-shuttered Holiday I and II in Elkhart. I found myself slowing down there on my last visit, camera in hand. I couldn’t resist grabbing a few photos of a place that once flickered with life.
Continue reading “Elkhart’s old Holiday I and II”
A few days ago, Lost Muncie member Tom Stark sent me a tip about a growing mound of concrete debris and detritus near the former Sears Auto Center at Muncie Mall. Construction fencing has surrounded both Sears and JCPenney since last October, but after the three-screen cinema was recently demolished, that fresh activity suggests Sears could be next.
Continue reading “It looks like Sears is next on the chopping block”
If there’s one thing Indiana takes seriously, it’s basketball. As it turns out, so do I! Us Hoosiers’ love affair with the game extends far beyond packed gyms on Friday nights- it’s reflected in the buildings themselves. Would you believe that thirteen of the fifteen largest high school basketball gyms in the United States are right here in Indiana1? Topping them all is the legendary New Castle Fieldhouse, a cathedral of high school hoops that can seat more fans than many college arenas.
Continue reading “The biggest high school basketball gym in the United States”