The Vigo County Courthouse is a jaw dropping work of architecture. The Victorian structure is one…read moreof the largest and grandest in the state of Indiana. The Courthouse was designed by Samuel Hannaford of Cincinnati and the builder was Terra Haute Stone Company. The French Neo-Baroque structure was completed in 1888 at the cost of $434,000. The building's limestone was mined from the Stilesville quarries. The two ton bell that runs rings in the clock tower was purchased by the County namesake, Col. Francis Vigo, who assisted with early exploration and Revolutionary War efforts. The west entrance is open to the public. Entry requires security screening. The officers are considerate and helpful. I obtained a paper describing the Courthouse history. The Courthouse is large with multiple Superior Courtrooms. There is a central atrium with a grand painted dome at the top. The woodwork has been painted and marble floors replaced. Doors to offices and courtrooms were closed and access limited. The iron staircases were beautiful. On the ground floor are several modern murals depicting local history. Unfortunately, I did not encounter anyone that shared stories about the Courthouse. Courts were in session and people were busy. The Courthouse grounds are immaculate. A beautiful water feature artwork runs near the west entrance of the Courthouse. Benches and tables attract the lunchtime visitors. Several war memorials stand on the Courthouse grounds. There was no or limited parking around the courthouse square. Construction on the grounds limited access to the entire square. We found free street parking across the street from the Courthouse. Traffic is crazy fast, so you need to be careful at crosswalks.

Vigo County's Pioneer Village can be found within Fowler Park. Besides driving through the park to…read morevisit, you can use the small parking lot along Bono Road and walk into the park from that entrance which accesses the village and covered bridge. Most of the year, the village is open to browse, but the buildings are locked. Some have convenient windows to browse in, but not all of them. You will also notice that some are authentic buildings which have been preserved by moving them to this gathering spot from across the area (including Illinois). Others are constructed from wood salvaged from other cabins/structures that had met their demise. What is created is a homogeneous collection of buildings that you might find if you could travel back in time 180 years to a small town in the area. Vigo County does open the village up the first weekend in October to re-enactors and vendors to celebrate the annual Pioneer Days. I believe there is a $5 fee for attending. I was surprised that I didn't see any promotion for the event in 2019 since I was there just a few days too early. If you are interested, I would suggest contacting the county's parks department. From what I heard from the staff at the guard house, the village has grown over the years as additional buildings have been relocated. While there, be sure to check out one of the State's oldest covered bridges on the south side of the village. Review #2957

A little distant from the town of Casey but it's still one of those "Largest Things" that you need…read moreto see if you're in the area. This is the World's Largest Horseshoe and yes, it's large. You can see that here as I parked next to it for scale. The claim to fame as world's largest became official in 2013, when this 1,144-pound cast iron horseshoe was verified by Guinness World Records. Then in 2015 it was surpassed by a slightly larger horseshoe in Kentucky that weighed half as much. So I wouldn't say that you need to go out of your way, unless you're interested in the world's largest things. Or perhaps you're already here for the Martinsville Agricultirual Fair. [Review 19672 overall - 127 in Illinois - 644 of 2023.]

The seat of Clark County is Marshall and here we are in Illinois. The county itself is named after…read moreAmerican officer George Rogers Clark who served in the American Revolution and was also the older brother of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The county was formed in 1819 and after some other parts were used to form other counties, it's been like this since 1830. After the earlier building (the fourth county courthouse) was destroyed in a fire, this building was built and dedicated in 1904. It is a two-story brick building with a central cupola and clock tower. The building's overall design is in the style of Renaissance Revival. The courthouse is surrounded by open parking on the street and is easily accessible. When I visited on Sunday morning, the building was secured but the grounds are of course open. It's a beautiful classic building and worth a visit. There are a number of monuments on the grounds that should be checked out including a "Gone but not Forgotten", and other war memorials. [Review 19668 overall - 123 in Illinois - 640 of 2023.]

So here's the verdict on Clay County Courthouse. The three story limestone building is the fifth…read morecourthouse for the county and second in Brazil. This historic Classical Revival building was designed by John W. Gaddis (Vincennes, Indiana) and construction began in 1912 and completed in 1914. The massive limestone columns and center dome are prominent features of the building's exterior. On the grounds, sit an Air Force jet and a Civil War era cannon. The interior of the building is magnificently original. The stained glass of the center dome is gorgeous. The tiled floors, marble stairs and brass light fixtures scream Art Deco. The staff is friendly. A judge welcomed us into the courtroom to take photos. The Superior Court retains its original bench seating and ornate decor. A massive mural sits in an alcove behind the judge. Historical documents and photos are proudly displayed throughout this impressive structure. A display of posters about prominent Clay County historical figures surrounds the atrium. A box of fresh tomatoes left by a local farmer with a FREE sign, reminds me that we are in the heart of farm country. I'd have to say, the Clay County Courthouse is one of my favorite courthouses in Indiana because of the conscience attempt to retain and promote its proud history. There is free street parking around the building. Handicapped accessibility is available at the west entrance of the building. The Clay County Courthouse is worthy of a visit for history, architecture and government buffs.

Although my review is only a 2 in the Yelp world, I still believe a public library (regardless if…read moreit appears to be as antiquated and dated as the Vigo County Public Library) is a vital resource to a community. So my heart wants to give it higher stars, but it is what it is. If you go to libraries in general, as I do, this library is indeed just at best a 2. It is not a bad library, nor did I have a bad experience, it is just kind of an old crappy library. I would describe it as somewhere between nostalgic and antique. I say this based on having visited this library 20+ years ago (there might still be some of the same material floating around), it still has that feeling of a time capsule and times gone by. In a world where people can look at an atlas on line or simply buy the book used on Amazon, maybe libraries are simply loosing their footing in many peoples eyes. I hope this is not the fate of this institution, despite my 2 rating. While stopping in today to simply check it out, this library is indeed being used by people in the community in which it serves. I saw many at the public computers browsing the web, kids in the children area reading books and smiling attendants at the front desk. There was a little art installation set up down one corridor. I parked myself on a bench and read a bit while observing the happenings going on in the lobby of the library. Something about this space seems old, but old like a blanket your grandma had (which is good and bad at the same time....this is how I feel about this library). If you wanted to pop in to read the local paper, while catching some A/C in a welcoming spot & safe place at no cost, you could come here, and I suppose this is at the heart of a public library. This library is basic, needs a freshening up of some sort and serves this local population in a way that only a small time community library can. After writing this review, I think I might be a library snob and only just figured it out.

The library has cordial and helpful staff. While the selection can sometimes be limited in certain…read moreliterary genres, overall, there is a solid collection of books here. I am able to find many books in the purview of Classic Fiction, Poetry, Science Fiction, History, and Philosophy, with ease.

After reading my pal Bruce K's review, I'm almost convinced this is not the world's largest gavel -…read morewell, maybe the world's largest wooden one. But who knows; I'll read up on it later. As part of the City of Casey's "large things" promotion, they decided to spread the love of large to their county seat's court house. The court house does have a lot of history, especially Abraham Lincoln-related. There is a quote attributed to Lincoln under the gavel. If you're cruising through Marshall and/or the Historic National Road, don't miss out on this!

Lest I get smacked by the actual World's Largest Gavel (that appears to be in Columbus OH), this…read moreone is perhaps the World's Largest WOODEN Gavel and it is in the entranceway to the Clark County Courthouse in Marshall, Illinois. The city has it on their website as such, https://marshall-il.com/places/united-states/illinois/marshall/worlds-largest-gavel/. A plaque on the base reads, "'The best way to predict the future is to create it.' -Abraham Lincoln." Dedicated to the past, present and future judges of Clark County Illinois. There is street parking and the area was very quiet on a Sunday morning. Plenty of parking. [Review 19667 overall - 122 in Illinois - 639 of 2023.]

We might not know where Jimmy Hoffa is now, but we know he was born in Brazil, Indiana. He is a…read morehome town legend that was celebrated as part of Clay County's Bicentennial. A historical plaque in his honor stands prominent at the intersection of Forest Ave and National Road in Brazil. Hoffa, born 1913, grew up impoverished. He became an advocate for labor during the depression and eventually rose the president of the National Brotherhood of Teamsters. He advocated to reduce poverty and discrimination during his tenure. He was instrumental in increasing wages for truckers. Hoffa was convicted of jury tampering in 1964. He disappeared in 1975. And so it goes.