Mossy Feet Books – Author Paul R. Wonning
Books About Indiana History, United States History and Garden Guides
Father Joseph Kundek invited monks from the Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland to come to Indiana to serve the needs of local Catholics. The monks responded to the call, establishing St. Meinrads as a school for Catholic children. It would also serve as a school to prepare men for the priesthood. Continue reading Podcast – St. Meinrad Arch Abbey
While on a camping trip to Brown County State Park, we took the opportunity to use our camping sticker to inspect the campground and facilities in the Paynetown Recreation Area on the northern shore of the lake. Paynetown has an electric and a non-electric campground, hiking trails, boat docks, boat rental and picnic shelters.
State Road 446 crosses a bridge that carries the highway over the lake. We crossed this and turned right into the Cutright Recreation Area, which consists mostly of another boat ramp. Continue reading Video – Hickory Ridge Fire Tower
Greetings, Today I will discuss the Pivot, or Initial Point in Indiana.
What is the Pivot Point, you ask? Well, it is the initial point of all land surveys in Indiana. The point was established by a surveyor team led by Ebenezer Buckingham on September 1, 1805. I did visit the site in the summer of 2025, however I did not walk back to the actual stone marker, as it is on private land. An historical marker near the road is about 600 yards east of the stone pillar. Continue reading Podcast – Indiana’s Pivot Point
The Pioneer Village at Spring Mill State Park
Today we will tour the pioneer village at Spring Mill State Park. Continue reading Video – The Pioneer Village at Spring Mill State Park
Early pioneers in Indiana founded the village of Spring Mill in 1814. The copious amounts of water that flowed from local caves encouraged them to build a gristmill using the water to power the mill. In 1817 Hugh Hamer, the mill’s owner, built a bigger mill on the site. This gristmill was a three-story limestone structure and is the mill that exists in the Pioneer Village today. Continue reading Podcast – The Gristmill at Spring Mill State Park
Today we will visit the Ben Shroeder Saddle Tree Museum in Madison, Indiana. Continue reading Video – Ben Schroeder Saddletree Factory Museum
Ben Schroeder Saddletree Factory MuseumToday we will visit the Ben Shroeder Saddle Tree Museum in Madison, Indiana.From the BookSoutheast Indiana … Continue reading Podcast – Ben Schroeder Saddletree Factory Museum
Greetings and happy new year. Today we will visit the memorial dedicated to Hoosier astronaut Gus Grissom, located at the entrance of Spring Mill State Park near Mitchell, Indiana.
Gus Grissom Memorial Continue reading Podcast – Gus Grissom Memorial – Spring Mill State Park
Wildlife lovers should think about making a trip to Muscatatuck National Wildlife Area. The Refuge is on US 50 just east of Seymour, Indiana. The diversity of wildlife visible to even casual visitors to the Refuge is a delightful thing to see. The Refuge consists of 7,724 acres of which forestland covers about seventy percent. The remainder is wetlands managed by National Park Service personnel. The Refuge is in both Jennings and Jackson Counties, however the entrance is near Seymour, in Jackson County. Continue reading Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge
Today’s destination is Jackson Washington State Forest near Brownstown, Indiana in Jackson County. Continue reading Video – Jackson-Washington State Forest
Jackson-Washington State Forest comprises 18,000 acres in the beautiful “knobs” area of central-southern Indiana. The knobs, or as geologists call it, the Knobstone Escarpment, includes some of Indiana’s most rugged terrain. Continue reading Podcast – Jackson-Washington State Forest
Obannon Woods, Wyandotte Cave and Squire Boone
Last week we visited Corydon, Indiana’s second capital. Today we visit three other destinations in Harrison County, O’Bannon State Park, Wyandotte Cave and Squire Boone’s cavern and village. Continue reading Video – Obannon Woods, Wyandotte Cave and Squire Boone
Last week we visited Corydon, Indiana’s second capital. Today we visit three other destinations in Harrison County, O’Bannon State Park, Wyandotte Cave and Squire Boone’s cavern and village. Continue reading Podcast – Obannon Woods, Wyandotte Cave and Squire Boone
The story of the founding of St. Augustine, Florida begins with a disastrous French settlement on Pariss Island in 1562, North Carolina and ends with the destruction of the French Fort Caroline in Florida three years later. Continue reading Pedro Menéndez de Aviles and the Founding Of St. Augustine
Corydon Indiana, in Harrison County, served as Indiana’s second Territorial capital and later as the first state capital. Vincennes had been the Territorial Capital from 1800 until 1813, when it moved to Corydon. Continue reading Podcast – Indiana’s Second Capitol, Corydon, Indiana
Today we will visit the 7 covered bridges in southeastern Indiana. Continue reading Video – The Covered Bridges of Southeastern Indiana
Guilford has the last remaining covered bridge in Dearborn County, constructed by noted bridge builder Archibald M. Kennedy & Sons of Rushville. Mr. Kennedy was hired by the County Commissioners in 1879 to construct the 101 foot long bridge spanning East Fork Tanners Creek. Continue reading The Covered Bridges of Southeastern Indiana
In this episode I will talk about the subject my newest book, Versailles State Park. Continue reading Video – Versailles State Park
Hernando de Soto lived from October 21, 1496 until May 21, 1542. His parents were members of a minor Spanish nobility class called Hildagos. As nobility, they would pay no taxes, however they had little property. He spent his childhood migrating with his family between 3 towns in southwest Spain. As he matured, he attended the University of Salamanca, courtesy of a family friend’s generosity. During his early life tales of the adventures of the Spanish conquistadors circulated widely among the people. Intrigued by the possibility of wealth and fame, he decided to become one of these adventurers. Continue reading Podcast – Hernando De Soto’s Expedition to the Mississippi River
Versailles State Park, located east of Versailles Indiana on US Route 50 is Indiana’s second largest state park. It includes 5905 acres, the 230-acre Versailles Lake, a public swimming pool and one of the finest campgrounds in the Indiana State Park system. The northern area of the park features an extensive Mountain Bike trail system. Horse trails occupy the southern reaches. Continue reading Podcast – Versailles State Park
Mossy Feet Books - Author Paul R. Wonning 