travel
Great bourbon starts with the good water at Lawrenceburg
Driving along US 50 through Lawrenceburg, Indiana, it is hard to miss the large complex of tall red brick buildings and multiple silver tanks that are part of the former Seagrams Distillery plant that straddles the Lawrenceburg and Greendale city boundaries. The current owner/operator of the facility is now MGP Ingredients, based out of Kansas.
This building has six floors (two of which are underground) of aging racks for the 550 pound barrels of whiskey
The Cincinnati Magazine published a fascinating and detailed story about the history of the Seagrams Distillery, its current owners, and the ins and outs of the distillery business around the country. Read that article here.
This paragraph is from the Cincinnati Magazine article. “According to (Master Distiller Greg) Metze, it all starts with the water. MGP Ingredients sits on an aquifer, just a short walk from the Ohio River (most of the facility is actually in Greendale). That 56-degree water—low in sulfur and iron, high in calcium, and limestone-filtered—lets MGP make a lot of whiskey, and also have a continuous source for cooling the equipment. That’s why there were so many distilleries in Lawrenceburg in the 1800s. MGP’s began life as the Rossville Union Distillery in 1847; after Prohibition, in 1933, it was purchased by the legendary Canadian company Seagram. Right next door was Squibb, which opened in 1846 (though another distillery, Dunn and Ludlow, was on that patch of land in 1807) and became part of the Delaware company Schenley in 1933.”
The tower houses multi-story continuous column stills
We drove by the facility last weekend during our day trip in the area. It is huge, and what we found was that unfortunately it does not offer public tours of this historic distillery. At one time the Seagrams plant employed over 2800 at the distillery and bottling plant. It is truly an iconic business with a rich and colorful history.
The Carroll Lee Cropper Memorial Bridge
Interstate 275 is the beltway that runs around Cincinnati, Ohio. A portion of this beltway crosses the Ohio River 20 miles west of downtown as it runs between Indiana and Kentucky. In 1968 construction began on a four lane continuous steel arch-shaped truss bridge. It was completed in 1977.
Approaching the bridge, Kentucky ahead
The bridge is 1,759 feet long, with its largest span being 758 feet. The official name is the Carroll Lee Cropper Memorial Bridge. Carroll Lee Cropper was a judge in Boone County, Kentucky, where the bridge lands on the Kentucky side of the river. Cropper was judge for 20 years starting in 1942.
Looking downriver from the bridge, you can see the pier at the Lawrenceburg landing in the water. The pier is the header picture at the top of this post.
We crossed this bridge twice on our day trip last weekend. It is quite impressive, and stands out when you are on the riverfront in Lawrenceburg looking up river toward the bridge. This is also the bridge that ultimately was responsible for the end of service of a small local ferry.
Lawrenceburg Indiana Bicentennial Monument
Lawrenceburg Indiana is on the Ohio River across from Kentucky. The pictured riverside monument was erected for the city’s 2002 bicentennial celebration. Two 12 foot diameter clocks face both the river and the land. A 30 bell carillon plays every hour with the peal of bells honoring the struggles of the “everyday man.” Stylized smokestack-styled columns frame the monument symbolizing Lawrenceburg’s long river heritage.
Honoring all branches of the service
Honoring first responders
The monument features bronze statues of soldiers and sailors of all branches of the service. On the opposite flank is a bronze statue honoring the police and firefighter first responders in the act of rescuing a child and passing him to an EMT. The center of the monument is open to the riverfront, however there are flood gates that may be closed, as the monument is also part of the flood control levee protecting the city.
Old Kentucky tobacco barn
We spotted this old tobacco barn from the I-275 interstate in Kentucky. These barns are used to hang tobacco plants after they are cut at their base. Burley tobacco plants can grow to a height of six feet. The barn’s missing siding boards and roof vents enable the large leaves to dry before they are baled and sold. Beyond the barn is the Ohio River.
A busy day by the river
Downtown Lawrenceburg
Even though it was a very cold and breezy day on Saturday, we still enjoyed a very nice day trip along a stretch of the Ohio River. It was one of those no itinerary trips. We just drove around and took in the sights.
Standing in front of a large wood chair in Aurora
We took the I-275 interstate bridge over the Ohio River into Kentucky and drove through the Creation Museum grounds. Returning to Indiana we stopped at Lawrenceburg, followed the River Road and went as far as Aurora. All in all we had a wonderful and exciting day as we took in the sights of southeast Indiana.
Mural remembers an 1885 fire wagon
Aurora, Indiana is a quaint and historic Ohio River town about 34 miles downriver from Cincinnati, Ohio. Go back to February, 1885 and see the city spend $3000 for a horse drawn steam pumper suitably christened Aurora. This beautiful horse drawn firewagon served the city well. In 1962 it was loaned to the Cincinnati Fire Museum in trade for professional restoration and the right to display. There Aurora remains.
In 2017 Mr. Don Andrew, a local resident and businessman, commissioned the Christian Dallas Art company to paint a mural on the side of his building depicting the Aurora in her stable with the team of horses being hitched up. Andrew paid $11,000 towards the total cost of $16,000. The rest was paid from the City of Aurora’s 2017 Facade Improvement Grant funded through riverboat gaming. This mural will really catch your attention when you first come into town on the Ohio River Scenic Highway.
This ferry ran from 1802 to 1978
Aurora, Indiana and Petersburg, Kentucky were connected for nearly two centuries by ferry that transported people, vehicles and goods back and forth across the Ohio River. From the first two horse powered days until the 15 car ferry in service at the end, the Aurora Ferry Company provided uninterrupted service seven days a week.
The history of the ferry
This canoe with the accompanied bronze plaque makes up a memorial marker for a long time icon of the Ohio River. From 1802 to 1978 a ferry ran back and forth across the Ohio. You can see this on the Ohio River Scenic Highway that runs along the river through Aurora, Indiana. The bridge that killed the ferry is out of sight in the background.
Multicolored vibrant mural with birds
We observed this vibrant mural on a building in downtown Greensburg, Indiana. Can you find all of the birds?
Historic 1930’s art deco building
The historic building survives with a new use
This historic building in Shelbyville, Indiana was originally the bath house for what was for decades the town’s public swimming pool. The William A. Porter Memorial Swimming Pool Bathhouse was built to honor the memory of the son of a Shelbyville family. This Art Deco building was dedicated in 1930.
Sometime in the 1960’s showing pool and back of the building
The pool was closed in 1998 and subsequently was demolished. The building is currently being used by the local Chamber of Commerce and serves as the Shelby County Tourism & Visitors’ Bureau. It is located on the north side of town and is one of the first structures that visitors see when they come into town.
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