Mossy Feet Books – Author Paul R. Wonning
Books About Indiana History, United States History and Garden Guides
Constructed as part of the Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act of 1836 signed by Governor Noah Noble on January 27, 1836, the Whitewater Canal was to form an integral part of southeastern and eastern Indiana’s transportation system. The ambitious act, in concert with the Panic of 1837, bankrupted the state and brought a major political party to its knees. Continue reading Whitewater Valley Railroad
The third of seven children born to Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner Wright, Wilbur was born near Millville, Indiana. The family would remain in Indiana until 1869, when Milton Wright, a Bishop in the United Brethren Church, moved to Dayton, Ohio. The Wrights would return to Indiana in 1881, where Wilbur and his younger brother Orville took up kite flying. Continue reading Birthplace of Wilbur Wright and Museum
Owned and operated by the Indiana Audubon Society, the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary was established in 1943. Connersville resident Alice Green Gray donated a 264 acre tract of land to the Society in 1943 as a memorial to her daughter, Mary, who had passed away in 1940. Alice passed away that year and her husband, Congressman Finley H. Gray, willed additional acreage to that upon his death in 1947. The sanctuary now totaled over 600 acres. Over the years gifts from members have allowed the Society to acquire more land, bringing the total current acreage to over 700 acres. Continue reading The Mary Alice Gray Bird Sanctuary
The Minnetrista complex consists of the land once owned by the Ball Brothers, Muncie’s leading family of industrialists and philanthropists. All five Ball Brothers had homes along the 6 acre strip of land between the White River and Minnetrista Avenue. The brothers coined the name “Minnetrista,” from the Sioux word for water, “mna,” and the English word “tryst.” “Mna,” is pronounced as “mini.” The word means “a gathering place by the water.” Four of the five Ball brother’s homes still stand on the site Continue reading Podcast – Visiting the Minnetrista At Muncie, Indiana
In a precursor to Hine’s Raid and Morgan’s Raid, Confederate colonel Adam Rankin Johnson captured the town of Newburgh, Indiana using two “Quaker Guns” as a ruse to subdue the town and to his nickname, Stovepipe Johnson. Continue reading Podcast/Video – Historical Site – Newburgh Raid
Amerindians of the Mississippian culture built the eleven earthen mounds between A.D. 1050 and 1400 to elevate important buildings. Continue reading Ancient Indian Mounds in Southern Indiana
Organized in 2013 as the Freedom Heritage Museum, the museum opened in May 27, 2017, as the Evansville Wartime Museum. Evansville played a prominent role in World War II. During the war workers from the Republic Aviation manufactured the P-47 Thunderbolt and a shipyard on the Ohio River built the LSTs (Landing Ship, Tanks). The Evansville Wartime Museum acquired a P-47 Thunderbolt in 2020 from the Lone Star Flight Museum. Restorers repainted the aircraft in a paint scheme that mimicked the style of the P-47 manufactured in Evansville. The local Chrysler plant manufactured ammunition for the war effort. Continue reading Evansville Wartime Museum
John Augustus Reitz constructed the home in 1871.
John Augustus Reitz (May 13, 1815 – December 17, 1891)
The son of Franz Josef and Maria Franziska Gertrud Fredebolling Reitz, John was native to Dorlar, Prussia. He attended Esloh, which was one of the leading schools in Germany. In 1836 he emigrated to the United States, landing in Baltimore in December. From Baltimore he migrated to Louisville, Kentucky where he lived for about a year. Continue reading Podcast – Reitz Home Museum
Local Lincoln historian George Honig suggested to the Spencer County Historical Society that a replica pioneer village be constructed to honor the memory of the county’s famous son, Abraham Lincoln, in the early 1930’s. That organization and the Rockport City Council supported the idea. Officials requested help from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). Continue reading Podcast – Lincoln Pioneer Village & Museum
The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a suitable memorial to the Sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln spent his boyhood years on Spencer County and grew up in the land around the Lincoln Boyhood Memorial and Lincoln State Park. Continue reading Podcast – Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 April 15, 1865)
The son of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abraham was native to Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky. Continue reading Podcast – Abraham Lincoln
Located on the banks of the Wabash River, the 3,465 acre park features hiking, camping and picnicing in a serene setting a few miles from historic New Harmony. The varied landscape of Harmonie transforms from the flat Wabash River floodplains to the hilly terrain of the campground. Harmonie offers fantastic views of Indiana’s storied river, the Wabash. Sunsets can be spectacular from the Wabash River Picnic Area as the sun sets over the river. Picnicers can choose from seven other picnic areas scattered around the park. Its location about half an hours drive from Evansville and a few minutes south of Historic New Harmony make it an ideal spot from which to explore southeast Indiana. Continue reading Podcast – Harmonie State Park
Native tribes ceded the area to the United States in the Treaties of Vincennes 1803 and Fort Wayne in 1809. This area at the junction of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers was mainly wetland not suitable for farming and received the designation as swampland. The Wabash and Erie Canal Company received the land as a grant from the Congress on March 2, 1827. The canal company failed. A man named Charles J. Hovey received ownership of the land in the 1880’s. Continue reading Podcast – Hovey Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area – Mount Vernon
Philanthropist William Maclure established the Institute in 1838. The Working Men’s Institute inhabited a wing in the Harmonist Church until 1894. In that year, it moved to this impressive building three-story structure on Tavern Street. The Institute at one time comprised 144 Institutes in Indiana and additional sixteen in Illinois at its height. The Working Men’s Institute has dwindled to this location. This is the oldest continuously operating library in Indiana. Continue reading Working Men’s Institute Museum & Library
Jane Blaffer Owen (April 1915 – June 21, 2010)
The daughter of Robert Lee and Sarah “Sadie” Campbell Blaffer, Jane was native to Houston, Harris County, Texas. Her father was the founder of Humble Oil Company, which later became Exxon. She attended The Kinkaid School in Margaret Kinkaid’s home, which is a college prepatory school for children K – 12. She attended high school at Ethel Walker School in Connecticut, graduating in 1933. She later attended Bryn Mawr College and the Union Theological Seminary in New York. She married Kenneth Owen, who was a descendent of Indiana philosopher, manufacturer and social reformer Robert Owen. The couple would have 2 children. Kenneth was from the small Indiana town of New Harmony. Continue reading Podcast – Roofless Church in New Harmony, Indiana
Johann Georg Rapp founded the group that would become the Harmony Society in Iptingen, Germany, in 1785. The Lutheran Church persecuted the members, so they migrated to the United States. They purchased land in Butler County, Pennsylvannia on February 15, 1805. They formed the Harmony Society and placed all of their possessions in common. Continue reading Podcast – Harmonist’s Labyrinth at New Harmony, Indiana
The Cathedral Labyrinth at New Harmony, Indiana
Visitors will find both a labyrinth and a maze in New Harmony. Though many think they are the same thing, there is a difference in the two. A labyrinth has one winding path leading to the center of the structure while a maze has many paths, some of which are dead ends.
Today I will talk about labyrinths, next week it will be mazes.
Walking on a labyrinth symbolizes a spiritural journey or a quest for self-discovery. It is meant as a sort of walking meditation. Continue reading The Cathedral Labyrinth at New Harmony
Visitors will find the David Lenz House and Garden on North Street. The house is closed to the public, unless you take a guided tour, but the gardens are open to browse. Construction of the house occurred around 1819 by David Lenz. Continue reading Podcast – David Lenz House and Garden
County officials first met at the home Absalom Duckworth in the village of Blackford. They moved the county seat to Springfield in 1817. Mount Vernon became the county seat in 1825, where they constructed a small brick courthouse. The current courthouse was built in 1874. The three story Italianate style architecture building features red brickwork with details of Bedford limestone. Continue reading Podcast – Visiting Posey County, Indiana
This episode tells the story of the legendary comedian, actor and television show host,Red Skelton. Red was born in Vincennes, Indiana. His birthplace, a museum dedicated to his life and an historical marker honoring him are all located near his birthplace. Continue reading Podcast – Red Skelton
Mossy Feet Books - Author Paul R. Wonning 