Washington Township’s first purpose-built schoolhouse was constructed in 1839. Another near what later became the community of Wheeling followed the next year. A primitive affair, the building featured notched logs slathered with mud above simple, puncheon floors. Wheeling’s Methodist congregation met there until about 18711.
Continue reading “Washington Township’s Wheeling schoolhouse in Delaware County”
Cinema’s magic lies in its ability to transport viewers to another world. Although this age of modern streaming services lets us watch whatever we want wherever we are, there’s something unique about being in the dark with a crowd of strangers all focused on the same story. That collective experience draws me to old movie theaters, whether they’re grand palaces from Hollywood’s golden age or early multiplexes from the 60s and 70s. The Delaware Cinema is part of the latter group: it was Muncie’s first suburban movie theater! Today, people still flock there for entertainment, albeit for different reasons. Here’s its story.
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You would be forgiven for driving through Stockport, in northern Delaware County, without realizing it’s an actual “somewhere,” but there are hundreds if not thousands of tiny, forgotten communities across Indiana just like it. Today, Stockport’s nothing more than a couple of houses, but local boosters had big plans for the place around the turn of the twentieth century.
Continue reading “Welcome to Stockport, Indiana. Population: ~5 (including you!)”