Author: Roadtirementvintage

“The Ruins” from a New York City building to Indianapolis

/ Roadtirementvintage / 18 Comments

Holliday Park is a city park located in the near north-side of Indianapolis in one of the more higher end neighborhoods. The park is a beautiful setting with hundreds of trees, flowers and wildlife. In addition to the natural features of this inner city recreation site you will find an eclectic display affectionately tagged “The Ruins”.

The centerpiece of this ‘artwork’ is a structure that is the home of three massive sculptures atop a brick and mortar conglomeration of various architectural details. The three statues are called “The Races of Man”, are carved from (fittingly) Indiana limestone and represent Caucasian, Asian and African ethnic groups. Karl Bitter was the sculptor.

View of the whole display

Entrance of structure in 1898 showing the 3 statutes and columns

The original home of the three statues was the St. Paul building in downtown New York. The building was the work of famed architect George B. Post (1837-1913) who was the architect of many of the most important landmarks in New York City, including the New York Stock Exchange.  At the time of the completion of the St. Paul building in 1898 it was 315 feet tall and the tallest in New York City.

The original St. Paul building was torn down in 1958 to make way for a new skyscraper. The building’s owner, Western Electric, held a contest among US cities for the rights to have the sculptures. Long story short, Indianapolis won the competition. It took two decades and tons of money to bring “The Ruins” to a condition suitable for public use. For a while Western Electric considered retrieving the statues. Then Mayor of Indianapolis Richard Lugar pushed the completion of the project, which included the three  original entrance columns, in the mid 1970’s.

Detail of one of the statues

When we visited the park we frankly were amazed. What a beautiful setting! The Ruins were fascinating to see. It was fun walking the grounds and touring the extensive nature center as well. Note that there was adequate parking for RV’s and buses, making access very easy.

 

WWII Gun Emplacements still overlook Puget Sound

/ Roadtirementvintage / 12 Comments
The Army had plans in place to upgrade the Puget Sound harbor defenses when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The attack prompted a feverish scramble to implement those WWII plans.
Fort Ebey was constructed from 1942 to 1944. It overlooked the Straight of Juan de Fuca and the open Pacific Ocean. It was the first of a series of defensive positions that also included forts Casey, Worden and Flagler, also on Puget Sound.

Date on the main bunker entrance

Historic Fort Ebey State Park on Widbey Island is home to the remains of Battery 248 of the Coast Artillery Regiment of the Washington National Guard. The guns are gone, having been melted down for scrap at the end of the war. What remains, however, are the two circular gun emplacements and the supporting large concrete bunker where ammunition, powder bags, and other equipment was stored. 

Forward observation post facing Puget Sound

In front of the bunker towards the edge of the steep cliff you will see the forward observation bunker. A narrow slit provided a panoramic view of the waters. No ships could enter the Sound without being spotted.

One of the remaining two gun turret foundations

The main armament of the fort was provided by two guns on swivel turrets. These guns fired a 108 pound shell with a range of 15 miles. The 26 man gun crews could fire a round every 12 seconds.
Take a step back in time with a visit to Fort Ebey State Park. Walk where the artillerymen walked. Explore the bunker. Stand near the forward observation position and imagine being on the lookout for enemy ships trying to invade the Puget Sound. More information about Fort Ebey State Park may be found at the park website.

Indiana fall colors

/ Roadtirementvintage / 16 Comments

Indiana has beautiful displays of changing fall colors. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fully changed trees are just stunning to see.


Fall is a most beautiful time of year in Indiana. My grandfather loved to travel and took trips several times a year. Granddaddy would never travel in October, thus would never miss the seasonal colors he loved so much.

Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, keep what you find

/ Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

Sher and I had discussed going to the diamond mine in Arkansas for some time. We’d read about this place, and it sure sounded like a fun and adventurous outing. The site is a 95 million year old inactive volcano crater. The first diamonds were discovered in 1906. Various mining enterprises have been attempted over the years. In 1972 the Craters of Diamonds State Park was established.

A small portion of the 37 acres for diamond hunting

We were able to plan a stop at the State Park on one of our trips to Austin to see family. We were of course exicited at the prospect of finding a diamond, or at least some of the other intersting and colorful stones in the park. This park is the only diamond hunting areas open to the public in the world. You keep what you find.

Getting ready to head for the diamond field.

The ground was muddy and slick so we had to watch our footing. The 37 acres open for diamond hunting is plowed about once every month, thus opening up more chances for finds. A fairly large amount of 1 carat plus sized diamonds have been found at the park.

Ready to dig! There is a sign picturing a huge diamond found.

Shed for washing dirt for diamonds and gemstones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did not find any diamonds, but we did find some nice rocks for our landscaping at home. It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours. We enjoyed seeing some of the gear that others had. Pulled wagons filled with shovels, rakes, buckets and even sieves and screens. These are serious diamond hunters!

Two Englishmen fight it out in 1870 Louisiana

/ Roadtirementvintage / 6 Comments

Here’s two neat little tidbits of history from a Mississippi River town, Kenner, next to New Orleans. Check it out…

Roadtirementvintage's avatarRoadtirement

We noticed a neat park on the Mississippi River levee at the town of Kenner, Louisiana. I turned into the parking lot because I saw an interesting statue. It was, in fact, a statue of a couple of men in boxing stances. I had to see what this was all about. Here is a picture and a little history.

Bronze statue portraying the 1870 boxing contest

On May 10, 1870, a trainload of about 1000 people left New Orleans for the little town of Kenner, a few miles from NOLA. The purpose of the trip was to visit an old sugar house near the banks of the Mississippi River. In that house was a makeshift boxing ring. In that ring a fellow from Beeston, Norwich, England named Jed Mace was the victor over another Englishman named Tom Allen from Birmingham. The 10 round bout was a bare knuckle affair. What made…

View original post 117 more words

Only Washington, D.C. has more war memorials than Indianapolis

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Indy is known for honoring its veterans and active servicemen, as this post shows. The strands on the tall monument are Christmas lights strung each year for the traditional “Circle of Lights” displays.

Roadtirementvintage's avatarRoadtirement

The city of Indianapolis has more downtown acres devoted to honoring our servicemen and veterans than any other U.S. city. And yes, as the title states, only Washington, D.C. has more war memorials and monuments than Indy. Start at the Soldiers and Sailor’s Monument and walk north to enjoy the other memorials in the immediate downtown area. You can spend a relaxing and inspirational day taking in the beauty and solitude of these structures and holy grounds honoring those who served so we may be free.

At the center of Monument Circle, the Soldiers and Sailor’s Monument honoring the troops of the Civil War

The Indiana War Memorial honors Hoosiers killed during WWI. It also contains a free museum and records of Indiana servicemen from WWI to the present.

The Obelisk in Veterans Memorial Plaza is centrally located in the 7 block war memorial district listed in the National Register…

View original post 139 more words

Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Galveston

/ Roadtirementvintage / 7 Comments

In 1892 the first Sacred Heart Catholic Church was built in Galveston, Texas. Unfortunately it was completely destroyed in the horrific hurricane of 1900. A replacement church was constructed during 1903-1904. Like the Bishop’s Palace across the street, famed Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton designed this, the second church on the site.

Note the dome, center

The beautiful church marquee

 

 

 

 

 

Following is a quote from a 1981 Texas Historical Commission Historical Marker placed at the church: “The present building, the second for the parish, was constructed in 1903-04 during the pastorate of the Rev. D. J. Murphy. A prominent landmark in the city, it features ornate octagonal towers, flying buttresses, elaborate ornamentation, and a variety of arches. The design reflects influences of the Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque styles. The building’s original dome, damaged in a 1915 hurricane, was redesigned by Nicholas Clayton.”

October is pumpkin picking time

/ Roadtirementvintage / 6 Comments

A tiny fraction of the pumpkin picking area available.

Hay ride to the pumpkin patch! (That is the kids zip line on the right.)

What a variety!

A U-Pick-It pumpkin farm in the Snohomish Valley north of Seattle. It provides a fun outdoor activity for young and old alike. This area has several farms offering pumpkin patches, corn mazes and Halloween spooky stuff too.

 

Historic Bishop’s Palace in Galveston

/ Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

Known as Bishop’s Palace, this Victorian style mansion was originally the home of Josephine and Walter Gresham. Gresham was a railroad magnate and hired famed architect Nicholas Clayton to design the home. The structure was completed in 1892, and miraculously it survived the disastrous hurricane of 1900.


From 1923 until the 1960’s the house was used as the residence of the Bishop of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese. It is now owned by the Galveston Historical Foundation. Guided and self guided tours are available for an admission fee.


This stunning mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Locally in Galveston it is a contributing building in the East End Historic District, in its entirety a National Historic Landmark.

New Orleans carriages only hitched to mules

/ Roadtirementvintage / 8 Comments

When in New Orleans you will no doubt see carriages driving around the city, taking various types of tours. Pay attention to the animal hitched to the carriage: it will be a mule, not a horse. Come to find out there is city ordinances that prohibit the use of horses. The carriage industry supports these laws, including the regulations restricting the number of hours and days that each mule and driver is allowed to work.

We saw this mule hitched to a carriage at Jackson Square in New Orleans

What is a mule? A mule has a horse for a mother and a donkey for a father. Mules  are smarter, up to 1.5 times stronger than a horse, live longer, and won’t work themselves to death. Mules also have a better tolerance to heat which is important with the high temps and high humidity common in New Orleans. It makes good sense to use mules in New Orleans.