The weather was nice enough for a drive to a neighboring town for a couple of errands. We always enjoy seeing how others decorate for Halloween.
Relaxing on the front lawn
The bones band
The 90’s live (?) on today
A cluster of ghosts and goblins
A scary porch Wraith
Franklin, Indiana is south of Indianapolis, has interesting history and is a typical Central Indiana small town. There are a couple of sites in town that have alleged paranormal activity, which fits for the season.
Sunday was a great day for an unplanned day trip to Franklin, Indiana. There was perfect weather for seeing things in the area and we ended up at a local historic site and restaurant.
The popular local eatery
The entrance
The old hotel light visible
The Willard Hotel was once an active hotel and now The Willard is a very popular restaurant with both outside seating and indoor dining areas. We really enjoyed our very tasty meals. Our son had pretzel breadsticks, fries and a coke. Sher had a custom made veggie pizza and I had the fried fish platter. We both enjoyed Blue Moon on tap. Our waiter Steven took excellent care of us, making sure we had everything we needed for an enjoyable dining experience.
Two piece cod platter with fries, hush puppies and slaw
Custom made veggie pizza
Curved stairway leading to now closed second floor of the hotel
The brick house of the Willard was originally built in 1860 by the daughter of one of the town’s founders. Over the years the hotel saw quite a history and the legends of hauntings continue to this day.
Today we (Maj and our son) took Sher out for a Mother’s Day luncheon. We had finished up a couple of quick shopping stops and Sher told me she wanted to go to the Willard for our celebratory meal.
Street view, note patio seating on left
Wonderful original curved stairway
Antique marble and cast iron fireplace
The Willard is an historic building in Franklin, Indiana. The original brick house was built in 1860. Over the years different owners built more around the house, turning it into a hotel. Now it is a very popular local restaurant “where friends meet”.
Sher’s veggie pizza
That’s a basket of fries
There is a bun hiding under that
Thick delicious tenderloin!
The Willard has a surprisingly complete menu for what used to be a pizza restaurant. The nice thing about the fare is that it offers favorites that we all enjoy. Sher ordered one of her favorite things: vegetarian topping pizza. Our son likes fries, so here came his basket of fries. I thoroughly enjoyed the breaded tenderloin. This culinary delight was twice as thick as most typical breaded tenderloins.
Yes, there is a full service bar…
Today the Willard was pretty busy when we arrived at 11:30. The place was packed by 12:15. Lots of folks were celebrating Mother’s Day same as we were. This historic establishment is worth a visit when you are in Franklin, Indiana. Check the website here.
Sitting on the north side of the Johnson County Courthouse in Franklin, Indiana is a striking memorial/fountain commemorating the valor of Union Soldiers from Johnson County during the Civil War. John Vawter was a businessman and banker from Franklin. He donated the memorial in 1905. It includes a bronze statue by artist Rudolph Schwarz.
This is a wonderful memorial to the men who served in the Civil War. The anachronism? As a history nerd who has been interested in, and studied military history, I need to point out that the arms and accoutrements on the cavalry trooper looking out over the battlefield are of a kind that did not even exist in 1861 to 1865.
Detail of the Model 1873 Trapdoor Springfield
The carbine is a Springfield “Trapdoor” that fired a 45/50 cartridge. This firearm was not invented until 1873, and was issued in both rifle and carbine lengths. The cartridge box on the trooper’s belt appears to also be from the 1870’s and designed for brass cartridges. The statue is a very good portrayal of a trooper from the mid 1870’s on.
This is an impressive memorial, complete with all branches of the services represented under the lion heads fountains. It is interesting that the statue artist picked the wrong model for his rendition of the trooper. It doesn’t take away from the honor given to the Civil War soldiers from Johnson County.
Downtown Franklin Indiana is blessed to be the home of the marvelous restoration of a classic movie theater. The Artcraft Theater is on Main Street north of the courthouse. Currently owned by a local non-profit organization, all kinds of entertainment events are offered with a full schedule.
Impressive marquee over the entrance
Ticket booth and entrance. The front of courthouse is visible at the end of the street.
The Artcraft Theater in Franklin, Indiana was opened in November, 1922 as a silent movie theater and Vaudeville house. Over the years the theater saw the advent of “Talkies”, changes in seating arrangements, and a major renovation in 1948 to the “Art Deco” architecture style. There is fascinating history of the Artcraft on their website. There are tons of old photos worth seeing.
Franklin, Indiana is south of Indianapolis and is the county seat of Johnson County. One of the most noteworthy places in Franklin is The Willard, now a family friendly restaurant housed in an historic brick building a block north of the courthouse. Originally a home, the property has seen several uses and additions over the years. Check The Willard website for a detailed history.
Main entrance of the restaurant
We were in Franklin for a dental appointment and decided to try out the American cuisine at The Willard. There was a decent crowd when we got there, and as we ate there was a constant stream of customers coming in to the facility. We were seated in the main dining room, while lots of folks took advantage of the outdoor seating.
Vegetarian pizza, stuffed w/veggies
Outdoor seating visible left, background
One of Willard favorites is pizza, and Sher did order the small vegetarian pizza. As you see in the photos it was packed with veggies. I had to try the breaded tenderloin and fries. The sandwich breading was different and not as “crunchy” as most recipes. It was tasty however.
Full service bar past the arched brick wall
From the lobby, curved staircase visible
At the top of the main stair
Passageway past the bar and bistro tables
The building has been around since 1860, and quite a few old details make the place very interesting. The main curved staircase has a beautiful stained glass window at the top landing. The marble fireplace and original Willard Hotel sign compliment main dining room where we ate. And even though there is no prominent mention of her, a ghost named Eliza, a former love scorned owner of the property can be seen moving about the building in a rage. Seems she caught her fiancé in a compromising situation with her sister on a table in the kitchen.
Sher and I went on a mission today to see what was up in nearby Franklin, Indiana. We had looked up a couple of brew houses and decided to try out Shale Creek Brewing. It is located in one of Franklin’s oldest building, and offers brews and great food.
Main entrance, downtown Franklin
Main bar
Once we were seated, it was time to decide what brews to get in the flight…
What an inviting list
Catelynn helped us with our flight choices
Here came the flight, really about the best reason to go to a brewery!
The food we picked was very tasty with large portions. The lettuce wedges had lots of toppings, and the breaded fried hamburger was smothered is all kinds of great stuff.
Excellent salad fare
Yes, smothered fried breaded burger
This is the life!
All in all, what a fun time we had. The food was great, the brews were fun to sample and we have found a place we’ll enjoy coming back to. We also bought a growler of Red Headed Squealer, aka Irish Red. Here’s the Shale Creek Brewing website to check out.
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