On our second stop of the day, we were surprised to find the square, where the county courthouse sits, populated with people sitting in chairs and lining the streets. Have we, once again, happened upon a civic gathering? If you follow my blog posts you may remember the Morgan County Courthouse that was surrounded by chain link fence and go-cart racers and spectators of all ages. As I walked around the square, snapping pictures and looking for the corner stone (which, by the way, I was unable to locate) the crowd watched me. I felt a little conspicuous, but soldiered on. Walking the streets were men pushing coolers on wheels, filled with ice cream for sale. I wanted to photograph them but was too embarrassed to ask their permission. I think I need to get over that. When asked, a bystander informed us that they were gathering for the annual parade for the County 4H fair. We decided to head out for stop number three before streets were closed for the parade, so we mounted Black Betty only to be delayed by a long and slow moving train. As the temperatures rose, the perspiration built under our riding/safety gear. We were anxious to be on the road with the wind of movement cooling us once again.
Many of the streets around the court house were lined with parade watchers, resigning us to park to the rear of the building. The Elkhart County 4H fair is held annually. Judging by the size of the crowd here today, the parade is a popular event. The fair dates for 2014 will be July 18-26. Details can be found at the Fair's web-site. Here is a link: http://4hfair.org/ Parade watchers line the route at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the parade. The Elkhart County Courthouse is a gathering place for the community. This plaque gives a brief history of the court house. The flip side of the plaque continues with the history lesson and is posted below. This flower bed looks like an American flag. The summer's unusually cool and moist weather has probably helped the bed develop its lush and rich color palette. I am not sure about the relevancy of the Neptune statue to Elkhart County. I do find this photo ironic when considering the local resident, texting, while seated in front of this building built more than one century ago and at the feet of the Roman god of fresh water, whose mythology predates modern history. At each court house visit, I walk the perimeter of the main building in hope of discovering something interesting or "photo worthy". Today I found a county employee's little slice of pleasure, sure to brighten her day, when a hummingbird comes to sip from the feeder she has placed outside of her basement office window. The photo below shows the plaque describing the reason this structure was erected in the 1930's. I wonder if these parade watchers would have been this relaxed back in the days when "gangsters" were traveling through on the way to Chicago. It is called a "anti-gangster pillbox". Follow this link to learn more about it. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/3819 No place for my trusty chauffeur to sit. It is developing into a hot day, he is going to be tired .....
|
AuthorHi! My name is Mary. My husband Curtis and I live in Huntertown Indiana. We have a 2009 Harley Davidson Street Glide. My hobby is photography and we thought it would be fun to travel around Indiana and photograph all of the 92 court houses located in the 92 counties of Indiana. Let the adventure begin! ArchivesCategories |