Have never seen tombstones like these

/ Roadtirementvintage / 18 Comments

It is always fun to find a different cemetery to explore. Even more so when you find very different tombstones than you normally see. This was the case at the Ross Cemetery in Decatur County, Indiana. Three stones were apparently hand inscribed in wet concrete at some late date, with names and birth/death dates. These might be replacement stones.

Hand inscribed name/dates

Two additional hand made “stones”

 

 

 

 

 

 

This cemetery also has other oddities. There are two different granite stones that serve as listings of others interned here, many are family groupings. The back side of one of these also proudly lists military veterans who are resting in this lovely country cemetery.

Lists of burials in Ross Cemetery

A listing of vets buried here

21 year old killed in action 1862

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many interesting stones at Ross Cemetery. What is fascinating is the range of size and quality of gravestones. Some are large and beautifully made. Others are simply what appear to be just rocks stuck in the ground. Family names are seen across many different stones, and dates of internments start in 1845 and according to a date on gate arches stopped in 1979.

Variety of marker size, quality clearly seen

Another view of the peaceful cemetery

Cemetery entrance gates

The historic Ross Cemetery can be found south of New Point in Decatur County, Indiana. It on the southwest corner of the intersection of E Co. Road 300 South and S Co Road 850 East. The gate is on 300 South and there is parking on the side of the road.

 

Mud Pike Baptist Church and Cemetery

/ Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

We were off on another daytrip in south east Indiana. We did have a couple of specific destinations, but as usual we did enjoy just coming upon interesting sights. One of these surprises was the Mud Pike Baptist Church and Cemetery which we came upon on, you guessed it, East Mud Pike Road. The church is roughly equidistant from Napoleon and Osgood, Indiana, both on US Highway 421, aka Michigan Road.

Pretty white church edifice

Remounted bell and one side of the cemetery

Notice the “Weeping Willow” tree in Mary’s tombstone

The grave of thirty two year old Sarah, passed in 1878

Grave of John Blackmore, Charter Member and church land donor

The bell remounted

Originally Delaware Baptist started in 1842 with 12 members, and Charter Member John Blackmore donated the ground for the church in 1844. In 1911 the bell was mounted in the belfry of the structure. A  fire devastated the church in 1996, resulting in the bell crashing to the floor. It now is mounted in a place of honor next to the flagpole and bench. The church was renamed Mud Pike Baptist Church in 1938, and it celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2017.

What do you call this 1909 structure?

/ Roadtirementvintage / 16 Comments

We came across this during our daytrip the other day. En route to another historic feature in southeast Indiana we were driving through New Point in Decatur County. Here came a short tunnel up ahead on S Co. Road 850 East.

No clearance sign, maybe 12 feet max?

Detail of side abutments

The 1909 date stamp has seen better days

 

 

 

 

 

The active Central Railroad Company of Indiana tracks run over the road using this structure. What is this type of structure called? Is it an underpass? Is it an overpass? Bridge? Tunnel? Viaduct? I’ve heard these called all of these, and have yet to find a definitive answer to the question. Any highway, railroad buffs or others in the know are encouraged to chime in…

Finks Road stone arch bridge

/ Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

Ripley County, Indiana is allegedly home to 11 stone arch bridges. The Fink Road bridge spans a branch of Laughery Creek, one of the main waterways in the county. This is a smaller single arch bridge that is not really obvious from the road.

Hard to see the stone arch through the vegetation

All you see are guardrails

Courtesy bridgehunter.com by Anthony Dillon

Stonework in B&W

This bridge was probably built around 1900 and refurbished in 1993. This turn of the century time frame saw many stone arch bridges constructed. The Fink Road Bridge, while only 60 feet long, has an unusual full 19 feet wide two lane spacing. It shows the high degree of craftsmanship typical of the times.

 

National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association

/ Roadtirementvintage / 7 Comments

The National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA) began in 1933 as an association pursuing the active continued use and appreciation of the history of muzzle loading firearms. The Association headquarters are located in a beautiful valley in southern Indiana, Ripley County, next to the village of Friendship. Twice a year, June and September, the valley echoes with hundreds of distinctive sounding black powder gunshot reports. Thousands of men, women and youths register and compete in a wide variety of contests and events.

Range targets, shooting stands also visible.

A view across the valley

 

 

 

 

 

A friend of mine from High School

The NMLRA has grown tremendously over the decades. When I first came to the shoot with my dad back in 1958 you could stand in the middle of the campground, throw a rock and not hit anyone. Now twice a year hundreds of campers pull into the grounds, in addition to many trailers that remain here year round. The whole valley fills, not only with participants in the shoots, but also two separate and unrelated large flea markets.

A couple of wilderness style forts on the primitive side of the grounds

Where you can buy, sell, trade everything from Kentucky rifles to buckskin trousers to powder horns

A bit of history

Friendship NMLRA shoots are a wonderful piece of Americana, filled with characters of all kinds, history buffs, and craftsmanship you would not expect to still exist. Yes, you can find gunmakers working on fine rifles and pistols. You can also watch impressive feats of marksmanship, both with black powder firearms, bows and arrows, tomahawks and other wilderness weapons. We were there just before the Fall Shoot began.

 

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre celebrates 50 years of entertainment excellence.

/ Roadtirementvintage / 9 Comments

The year was 1973. Those three massive eye catching  Pyramids had just been constructed on the then far northwest side of Indianapolis. A new music and theater venue named Beef & Boards had just opened. It offered a delicious meal prior to the entertainment show of the evening. Thus began a wildly successful run that continues today, 50 years later.

Come celebrate with the Stark family

Fort Wayne native Douglas E. Stark patronized the opening show, Tom Jones, and was mesmerized by the venue. His dream came true in 1980 when Stark bought Beef & Boards with a business partner, Bob Zehr. Stark recently observed “At the time it offered the most stability that I could have as an actor and director to fulfill my artistic need-and at the same time provide the stability that’s necessary for raising a family.” That family is now, with Douglas, operating Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre.

The 2023 season will celebrate 50 years of excellence in the theater business. The lineup of shows is quite frankly remarkable. It opens with the classic board game mystery Clue, one of three debuts this season. Wonderful musicals, clever comedies and theater classics make for a must see season.

The Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre 50th Anniversary season lineup

Clue                                                               Dec. 28, 2022 – Feb. 5, 2023 (Beef & Boards Debut)
Footloose                                                   Feb. 9 – March 26
An American in Paris                           March 31 – May 15 (Beef & Boards Debut)
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast      May 18 – July 9
Sophisticated Ladies                           July 13 – Aug. 20
Grumpy Old Men The Musical      Aug. 24 – Oct. 1 (Beef & Boards Debut)
Joseph -Dreamcoat                             Oct. 5 – Nov. 19
White Christmas                                   Nov. 24 – Dec. 31

The show that brought more people through its doors than any other: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from Oct. 5 through Nov. 19, 2023.

The year long celebration of 50 years at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre will be an event that you should become a part of. Each and every show has appeal to all and provides an immense variety of entertainment options. Do not miss any of these fabulous performances. Bring your desire for a filling dinner and hunger for professional entertainment. You won’t be disappointed. All the information you need is at the Beef & Boards website.

A lovely four-span stone arch bridge

/ Roadtirementvintage / 7 Comments

Ripley County Indiana is a scenic land of rolling hills, wooded tracts interspersed with farming enterprises. Amongst the unique sites include a wonderful stone arch bridge just outside the tiny village of Friendship. This bridge was constructed in 1909 on the Olean Road where the road crosses Raccoon Creek.

From a distance

The approach to the bridge

Nearly perfect stonework


Side view of the stone work arches


The stonework on the four arches is really a stone mason’s dream. This bridge has spans over 20 feet. The deck is nearly 15 feet wide over the 103 foot length. Stone arch bridges were a very common design for many rural stream and river and there are eleven still standing in Ripley County alone, according to records.

Raccoon Creek is typical of southern Indiana hill country drainage streams. Usually running, it can go dry in droughts. The bubbling sound of the passing of the water adds to the serenity of this environment.

 

Historic Miller Cemetery

/ Roadtirementvintage / 8 Comments

Just a few miles west of Shelbyville in central Indiana, on a road aptly named Cemetery Road, you’ll come across a well-kept and decent sized rural cemetery. Miller Cemetery has roots back in the early 1800’s.

Proud flag and pure white lettering

Corn and soybean fields beyond the graves

Equipment shed, and yes, an outhouse

Civil War Veteran of CO.K, 42nd IND. INF

 

 

 

Sad record of the death of a very young wife

A member of the Odd Fellows, symbolized in the 3 chain links

According to the Cemetery Facebook page farm neighbors formed a loosely knit organization in 1926 for the purpose of upkeep and administration of the grounds. The volunteers still perform their loving tasks. This is one of the best manicured country graveyards you will find.