Centerville, Indiana has an alternate name: "City of Arches". Along West Main and on South…read moreMorton, a number of buildings have arched entrances to breezeways/passages from front to back. So, it seemed fitting to become the theme during the 2015 Festival of Murals in Wayne County for this piece. Artist Mark Gardner created an image of portholes on the side of the building with a ribbon spiraling through them. The ribbon lists facts about the town and also the location/names of the arches. Reflecting the size of the arches themselves, the mural is smaller than many of the other entries in the Festival. Review #1239

I'm a big fan of street art and murals. The historic part area of Richmond has some really cool…read moremurals. We were in the area looking at a list of waterfalls but happened upon this area and neat murals. I would like to come back and spend more time exploring.

If you enjoy murals in unexpected places, this is the block to go! The north end of the blocks…read morewhere Ft Wayne Avenue meets North E Street has surprises on the fronts, backs, and even near the tops of the buildings. On the west side of Ft Wayne Avenue, the Richmond Furniture Gallery building has numerous images of furniture painted by the loading docks on the north side. There is also a portrait of Charles Mosey, early recording artist, by Pamela Bliss (1999). There is also a banner mural which reads "Greetings from Richmond, Indiana". On the south end of the block is a mural by Damon Reed of guitarist Lonnie Johnson with a post card of Richmond behind him and to the left. On the east side of Ft Wayne Avenue, you probably see the rooftop billboard/mural of Louis Armstrong playing his trumpet next to a sign for Historic Richmond. Down at street level on the north end is a mural of Louis Armstrong on one side of the doorway and Hoagy Carmichael on the other. The mural that seems to spur the most discussion is the alley mural of windows and doorways by Pamela Bliss. Although there are very few actual doors and windows on the alley, Bliss had painted in the areas to make it appear the building is occupied by a variety of characters. As you stroll through the alley, you will see a peacock, a puppy, a kitten, a young woman, a recreation of the famous WWII image of a sailor kissing a gal, a guitarist, a carousing husband getting home late to a wife with a rolling pin, and even a flying pig! There are other windows and doors as well. Lots of imagination and a bit of humor. If you are in Richmond's Historic Depot District for coffee or a bite to eat, make a point to stop by and check out the fabulous murals throughout the area. Review #1235

There's a pretty good chance that if you ever drive east on U.S. 40 that you've driven by the…read moreHuddleston Farmhouse Inn Museum in Cambridge City. I believe it's actually right on the Cambridge City/Mount Auburn line. Set up on a hill, this 1841 farmhouse was the home of Quakers John and Susannah Huddleston and their 11 children. The home also offered two "traveler's kitchens" offering a place to cook and sleep for those who traveled. In other words, this lovely porch was always busy. The lower level of the farmhouse is accessible and National Road Heritage Site exhibits offer a glimpse into travel on what is known as National Road in some cities, East Washington Street in Indy, U.S. 40 in some places, and in some smaller towns simply Main Street. This farmhouse now is host to Indiana Landmarks' Eastern Regional Office and the office of the Indiana National Road Association. The farmhouse, barn, and exhibits are available for touring by appointment. You can also rent the main level of the house, the barn, and the grounds for a variety of events. It's all quite spacious and could easily host weddings. The organization largely uses volunteers and if you volunteer at least 30 hours annually you get an Indiana Landmarks membership, free admission to Huddleston House events, and the Indiana Landmarks bi-monthly magazine. The floor level of the barn is mostly accessible, though certainly upper areas are not. While I often mark off businesses that are not accessible, when it comes to historical sites I'm certainly respectful of the inherent limitations. The home is a three-level home that was made using 125,000 bricks. The entire farm is 78 acres and includes the main house, spring kitchen, smoke house, and two barns. Research indicates there was originally another building on the grounds. Indiana Landmarks purchased the property in 1966 with funding supplied by Eli Lilly (the person, not the company). The house, barn, and other outer buildings have been restored. In addition to being able to rent it, the farm hosts a variety of period-appropriate events. I drove by this farm almost every weekend for quite some time on my way to seminary before finally stopping to check it out. It's a beautiful farm and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

If you are in the Hagerstown area, do yourself a favor and check out this fantastic mural inside…read morethe second floor of the Nettle Creek Valley Museum (the Odd Fellows Hall). The place may have a small fee and has limited hours, and the stairs up to the second floor can be kind of steep. But I have never seen anything quite like it, despite the quirky setting. Painted in 1913 (and having had some touch up work along the way), this massive mural by Charles Newcomb covers all four walls and has a painted sky for the ceiling! Despite the room being a bit cluttered with other items, there is enough of the mural visible to appreciate the effort it took to make the images all fit with a common theme. Each of the walls appears to be painted as an outdoor wall with a balcony about two thirds of the way up. Above the balcony, there are potted trees and shrubs, and folks dressed in what I would be guess to be Florentine attire from the Renaissance period. And in some cases, there are figures painted at floor level like an affluent couple with their dog. The mural is thought to be inspired by the painting in Philadelphia called "Girls Dining Room" by Maxfield Parrish, a contemporary of Newcomb. Review #1244

This mural is on my favorite store in Hamilton. Unsung Salvage. Be sure to stop in if you're…read morechecking out the mural. I'm pretty sure that this building used to be a place that sold lighting fixtures and parts, so the bulbs seem appropriate. I don't know why Hamilton is so into origami, but whatever. It's neat. At first I thought they were cranes and bats but then I found out I don't know anything about origami and that they're swallows "foreshadowing spring." Thinking they are bats is way different than swallows foreshadowing spring. The more I learn the names of murals in Hamilton, the more it seems they are titled to try to alleviate people who fear losing their city to the sort of people who make murals. And the people who make murals are paying homage to the history of the city with bright color pallets. Anyway, I forgot to say this is from the Street Spark team here in Hamilton. They do a fantastic job. I love to see them out painting. From their homepage (https://www.fittoncenter.org/streetspark) Lead Artist: Nick Scrimenti Supporting Artists: Lori Farr, John McCoy, Ariel Williams Thanks, guys!

Stumbled on this when in town to visit the county historical museum. Google or Apple or someone…read moreknows I am a history buff, and this popped up. Fit it in when I could. Pull up to the building on the hill. Nice parking area. But it turns out that is the smaller, annex building, really. Head down to the row of shops across the street, and you will enter a world full of Model Ts. Beautifully restored and displayed, with good explanations of their backgrounds, and often a copy of the group's magazine in front with an article about that particular car. Superb staff, friendly and knowledgeable. Tons to see. When you finish here, there are more cars (and a plane) across the street. They have events, and it's really worth a visit if you are anywhere nearby, are at all a car buff or history buff. Or just curious. A few cars for kids to sit in, etc., and they'll have fun too.

A fun and interesting diversion, but I think unless you're really a car buff, the $7 admission is a…read morebit stiff. Fascinating to see actual 100-plus year old vehicles arranged in such a way that you learn about their development. Interesting how they were really toys for the very wealthy until about the early 20s when the assembly line started to bring the prices down. It's housed in two buildings, the second one really had much more to see than the first. The docent/tour guide was full of knowledge and enthusiasm and would probably talk for hours if you were willing to listen. A couple visitors who were there were major car buffs, looking closely under hoods and discussing valves and pistons at great length. The guide did a good job balancing between them and those of us who were really more interested in the historic aspect and a somewhat shorter tour. Along with the cars, tractors, trucks, you can see antique office equipment, tools, car accessories, vintage advertising and mannequins dressed in period costumes. Most of the vehicles have been restored with fresh Ford paint jobs, but a few are on display in all their ancient, rusty glory. Be prepared to spend the entire visit on your feet. As with most antiques, the general rule is 'look but don't touch' but they are not obsessed with this and didn't seem to mind some careful, respectful touching of the restored vehicles. Perfect activity for a Sunday afternoon.

If you are a history buff or someone who appreciates artistic talent, then stop by the courthouse…read morein Winchester to check out this monument on the northeast corner. This is the oldest Civil War monument in the entire state of Indiana! It is second in height only to its namesake in Indy. I also like that there are plaques about how the monument was funded and who the artist was that contributed the bronze work. Lorado Taft was a famous sculptor from Illinois who completed these numerous bronzes in 1892. There are four corner figures including Artillery, Navy, Cavalry, and Infantry. There is a flag bearer positioned on the top. There also is an encircling bronze ring above the base that is an action diorama. The monument was designed by Indy architect A A McKain. It is made from ornate granite. Review #2589

On my last visit to Muncie, I found this giant mural downtown on the side of the Mark III Taproom…read moreon Walnut. The mural was completed in 2017 by the "We're Trying Collective" and volunteers. The mural was inspired as response to the Orlando Pulse Nightclub attack. Muncie residents wanted to let folks of all types know that they are welcome in Muncie. Community outreach gathered thoughts and interest and developed the mural. The mural has large pastel areas with a black overlay of lines that create a lot of abstract imagery. Between the lines, a number of hand prints can be seen of volunteers. The orange areas also have a number of equality symbols. Review #1367

During the 2015 Festival of Murals in Wayne County, this remote site north of Centerville was…read moreselected to include a mural. Just south of I-70 on Centerville Road is the entrance to a small strip mall that includes Warm Glow Candle Outlet and The Watering Can. On the north side of the building, a cool pastel blue tree, leafless as in winter, is silhouetted on the wall. Among the branches and in the air surrounding the tree are silhouettes of red cardinals which often winter in Indiana. "Indiana Natives" was painted by Joe Thompson for the festival and celebrates the cardinals for bringing color all year to what can be a cold and drab winter scene. Cardinals are the official state bird of Indiana. Review #1240