The Crooks Covered Bridge is lovely, surrounded by corn fields in a picturesque setting. The bridge…read morecrosses little Raccoon Creek and was built by Henry Wolfe in 1856, making it the oldest bridge on the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival Tour. The bridge seems to be in remarkably good shape for its age. According to the Parke County map the bridge is passable by car, but there were many nail pops throughout the bridge deck, so we only crossed by foot. A modern raised road crosses creek next to the bridge for use when the creek is low. The gravel roads are narrow approaching the bridge. There is space to park and walk around the bridge. I love how the reflection of the bridge in the water.

Step back in time take a stroll across history. Located across a small stream down a gravel road…read more Makes a nice stop to stretch your legs or take a dip in the stream

Cunningham Memorial Library is one of my favorite locations on campus. My first visit was in 1985,…read morea nostalgic imprint that remains with me to this day. There are lots of stacks and study spots, even a cafe in the entryway. I didn't spend nearly enough time here as a student, but I still appreciate this concrete behemoth! The card catalogue is gone but plenty of old school history remains in the stacks and the archives. My visit on this day was for historical research on student organizations and ISU presidential papers. The special collections team were most helpful in identifying relevant holdings and giving me access to review documents related to my topic. Advance notice is needed due to storage location of the archives. Legacy materials are held in a different location on campus, thus staff need time for document retrieval.

I am an author. My name is Linda Bates. One of my book is a fiction book called Alisa's New Life…read more It is about a young girl, her three younger brothers, and one older sister. They encounter a change when their alcoholic father Walt Preston has a wreck and is arrested. When her mother dies they are adoped by a local teacher in the town of Terre Haute, Indiana. Alisa, Gilbert Goodnill and Jason Johnson spend the next few years in one adventure after another, dates,, proms, and hanging out. Alisa keeps a journal of her new adventures, and writes her feelings and of her events to her mother while over coming the grief she holds within of her mothers passing. I am in the process of publishing another fiction book called 'Nick Bradford's Ghostly Clients. He is a ghost helper in a small town in the midwest, helping ghost to cross over. He and his good buddy Jerome encounter many adventures. His neighbor Elda Ramon is also a ghost helper. Nick encounters adventures of 13 ghosts that during the story approach him desperatel for help. Nick is a 17 year old boy in his senior year of school. Elda takes him under her wing and teaches him all she knows about helping ghost to cross over. Nick and his girlfriend Clarissa become close and introduce Jerome to a wonderful girl. The four teens bond through the vast ghostly adventures.

It's a new bridge but still done in that classic style. We took this in before the Covered Bridge…read moreFestival so we could enjoy the beautiful area before the crowds. If you come during the festival this place is filled with activities and vendors

Such a pretty view of a little waterfall near this old mill! There's also a historic marker nearby…read more Phone service connectivity is a major issue when touring Parke County, so it was a huge perk to get free wifi at this location as I planned my next stop.

Bypassed in 1987, this Single Span Burr Arch Truss was built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1900 to carry…read moreGreencastle Road (County Road 720) over Big Rocky Creek. Access is easy and fully paved; the bridge sits about two miles east of US59 outside Mansfield. One of nine covered bridges that Daniels put up in Parke County, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978; it is #6 on the Parke County Covered Bridge Map.

One of the shorter covered bridges of Parke County can be found to the southeast of Rockville near…read morethe town of Mansfield. This classic Red and white covered bridge was originally built in 1900 (one of the newer bridges in the county!) The bridge is 88' in total length and spans 72 feet. This Burr Arch-truss style bridge is now open to pedestrian traffic only. The road bypassed this bridge in 1988, ten years after it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you are following the Parke County road map, this bridge is on the Black Trail to the south east of the Mansfield Bridge. From there, take CR145 east to 775E, then south to 720S, then east to the bridge. Note that on the east side of the bridge is a pull off area that you can safely use for parking. If you are coming from the south (Brazil), then take CR 59 north (4.5 mi.) to 720S (CR 22), then east to the bridge (less than 2 mi). The road is paved, but speed is limited to the frequent twists and turns and overall road conditions. Review #3154

Irishman Covered Bridge, also known as Honey Creek Bridge, can be found within Fowler Park…read more Besides driving through the park to visit, you can use the small parking lot along Bono Road and walk into the park from that entrance which accesses the bridge and the Pioneer Village. This is one of the State's oldest covered bridge which makes it interesting to view the building structure. However, because of a massive restoration project (the flooring is being replace for safety and preservation of the structure), the bridge was off limits to pedestrian traffic. The bridge used to be in service but in 1971, it was relocated to the park where it now spans a small inlet off Ruble Lake. The bridge sports the classic red side walls and white faced ends that are popular in Parke County. The bridge is 75' long, so it is one of the shorter spans left in the state. I hope the repairs are completed and can preserve this bridge much as the pioneer village has saved log cabins from the area. Review #2957

In fair disclosure, my involvement with Ryves Hall Youth Center in Terre Haute, Indiana came on two…read moredifferent occasions - the first in which I spoke to children and youth involved with the organization as part of a social justice awareness event and the second due to a fundraiser/awareness event where Ryves received part of the funds from the event. If you know anything about my work as an activist, then you likely know that I gravitate toward grassroots efforts where the modest amounts that I raise will actually make a difference. Ryves Hall Youth Center, a program of Catholic Charities of Terre Haute, is such an operation. Located at 14th & Locust in Terre Haute, Ryves serves children aged 3-17 with services that range from a pre-school to after school supports to a meal, recreational programs, educational supports, mentors, tutors, sports programs, scouting programs and so much more. During my first visit to Ryves, I fell in love with the place as this diverse group of young people listened with focus and enthusiasm as I attempted to plant seeds of hope for some of Terre Haute's most at-risk children and youth. You could tell the staff and volunteers cared about the kids and I promised at the time that I'd return despite being on an event and living nearly 100 miles away. So, as I entered Ryves this past weekend it felt good to have honored that commitment. This was a more casual, less formal visit that involved meeting the kids and learning more about Ryves Youth Center. For example, I learned a fun fact - the first Scout at Ryves to attain Eagle Scout was a youth with Down Syndrome. I loved this. No child is turned down for entering Ryves and the organization serves a diverse population comprised largely of those kids considered "at risk" and many whom are homeless or in circumstances where their only meals are at Ryves or at school. Having had the chance to share a meal with these kids, I can testify that the food is healthy, tasty and well prepared. Ryves offers a program called "TIME for Me," a trauma-informed mentoring program that pairs of children with trained mentors who've also been trained for awareness on the various traumas that impact the lives of these kids. In terms of access, a person in a wheelchair does best if entering through an East entrance that offers a level surface and fewer obstacles. The facility, which is at a building known as Etling Hall, is shared with a food pantry and is housed in an older building that comes with all the challenges of an older building housing a non-profit. Ryves did recently have a grant that paid for some flooring upgrades and the involvement of the community has made the building more accessible than one might expect. Ryves advertises itself with a banner that was created for it proclaiming it the "Miracle on 14th Street" and, indeed, this has been my impression from two visits to the small but mighty youth center. They accomplish a lot with very little and provide stability and healthy role models for kids who truly need it.

I want to know why I get fired for talking about something that a old lady said. But the woman in…read moredaycare Tonya can put a black child in the library and camera but nothing happens to her. They grab on them kids but nothing said. But when I say something that Ms Ruth was mad about they calling me in the office. Great job pinkstaff.

Walking into this library, I thought it was your run-of-the-mill library. There were books and…read moreplaces to read. There was a teen area with a tv. Public computers offered free legal advice. Downstairs in the kid's area, there was a regular size door for adults and a pint size door for kids that was unique. A nice play area for the kids helped them learn and love the library. There was a pretty awesome tree house down in the kid's area. But when I turned the corner upstairs, things got really interesting. The digital library was housed in a former historic Carnegie Library, now a wing of the library. Tony, the head of the digital media, came out of his office when he heard our gasps to tell us the history of the Carnegie structure. Like many libraries in Indiana, the library in Greencastle was funded by a grant from Andrew Carnegie over 100 years ago. The town provided the land and commitment to maintain and Carnegie paid to build the building. The library, now the Putnam County Public Library, still maintained the original oak woodwork and fireplace mantles of the historic structure. Beautiful stained glass decorated the windows and the sky light. Historical photos of the original furniture (which is still in use today) and staff were on the wall. Tony explained that the Library had maintained and renovated the Carnegie space when they had expanded and modernized in the 1990s. Today, the center house historical information. He also showed us art by the famous Wilbur Kurtz, a former resident and art instructor in Greencastle. I highly recommend a visit if you like history and architecture. Talk to Tony (the staff is awesome). There's plenty of parking near the Library. The new section is fully accessible with restroom facilities. .

"Read.Think.Create!" is part of a six-installation public art trail in Greencastle, Indiana. This…read moreparticular piece is located inside the Putnam County Public Library and is directly over the circulation desk (Fun Fact: The circulation desk is the original Carnegie Library circulation desk). Read.Think.Create! was created by Greencastle Civic League Artists Amy Welch and Heather Wright to celebrate the old and new of libraries. It adds a beautiful energy to this 1902 library that was renovated in 1995 but still retains much of the original furniture and design. This installation is within walking distance of two others. Greencastle, in general, has quite a bit to offer within a fairly small distance. Of course, the city is also home to DePauw University. There's not much else that can be said about this mural as it's simple yet colorful and well-maintained. Putnam County hasn't caught on to the public art scene as much as some other communities, though this six installation trail is fun to experience and definitely worth checking out if in the area. I would not consider Read.Think.Create! a destination public art piece, however, if you're in Greencastle it's worth checking out the library and its art work. While this mural was the first of the six to be envisioned, it was actually completed after the nearby "Greencastle Blossoms." This is free to check out during library hours.