Our Willard Library Ghost Encounter?

UPDATE MAY 5, 2021:  Willard Public Library once again has its ghost cams up and running, so maybe you'll spot the elusive "grey lady."

A Ghost of a Chance

Local folklore around Mooresville, Indiana maintains that you will get one wish granted if you make it at exactly midnight on Halloween night (October 31/November 1) at the base of the gravestone of Samuel Moore, town founder (1799-1889), who is buried in the Old Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Cemetery (commonly known as "Old Cemetery") one block from the center of downtown.  I learned this from Broadway Gal, who held a truly cool and kinda scary Halloween stories reading last evening (Friday, October 28, 2011) at Mooresville Pioneer Park, where a candlelit crowd sat spell-bound as she told her moderately terrifying tales.

Broadway Gal's Spooky Halloween Storytelling

at Mooresville Pioneer Park Last Evening

(Broadway Gal is Standing on the Right)

Besides several families attending were moi, accompanied by minions (The Lady With the Red Hair and Scowl-Face), as well as "Flat" Cauli III.  I kept in the dark at some distance away, as I like to observe news events unobtrusively, and, anyway, candle flames could scorch my fur.  "Flat" Cauli appeared in my stead.

The Lady With the Red Hair and "Flat" Cauli III

(Extra-Spooky With Those Golden Eyes!)

I've blogged about Samuel Moore before, but if you really want the low-down on our town founder, you need to visit Scowl-Face's blog; or you may watch the video (below).  He can tell you more than you ever wanted to know, or listen to, about Samuel or the town's history generally.

"Narration" of Samuel Moore at the Old Settlers Picnic (1885)

by Mooresville Public Library

I was intrigued by Broadway Gal's firm grasp on our local folklore, but I had anticipated this particular legend and visited Old Cemetery before coming to the Scary Stories Reading.  It was approaching dusk when minions, "Flat" Cauli III and I arrived.  I was prepared for anything, and The Lady With the Red Hair and "Flat" Cauli showed considerable spunk, but Scowl-Face hid in the backseat of the car and refused to get out.  (Can you say wuss-puppy?)  So I had to operate the digital camera.

T.L.W.T.R.H. & "Flat" Cauli III

at Old Cemetery Entrance (Founded 1829)

"Flat" Cauli III Standing Guard

by the Maple Tree at

Old Cemetery Entrance

Samuel & Eliza Moore are buried near the back of the cemetery.  "Flat" Cauli climbed the tombstone, but no disrespect was intended, since kitties climb everything, and Samuel liked cats.  Eliza, not so much, but she appreciated hard-working, mouse-catching felines.

My little expedition also visited the graves of Washington and Mary Conduitt, which are just a few feet from Samuel and Eliza's.  Mary was their daughter.  Wash Conduitt built her a house, but she died before moving in.  Broken-hearted, Wash couldn't bring himself to live there alone, so his parents-in-law, Samuel and Eliza, took possession of the house.  It is the last standing home of the founder of Mooresville.

As we left Old Cemetery, The Lady With the Red Hair and "Flat" Cauli III posed by the commemorative stone indicating the approximate location of the old M.E. Church (1839-1882).  You can learn more about the site by clicking here.

T.L.W.T.R.H. and "Flat" Cauli III

on the Old M.E. Church Stone

That's the Washington/Mary Conduitt grave marker sticking out of the top of The Lady With the Red Hair's head.  Sorry about that.

Have we got a couple of videos detailing the history of the Mooresville M.E. Church?  You had to ask.  Once Scowl-Face gets going on local history, there's no stopping him.

So, what about my Halloween wish at Samuel Moore's grave?  Well, for starters, it's not Halloween yet, so I'll have to return next Monday (October 31).  Then we'll see how much canned tuna-in-oil Samuel's spirit can deliver for moi.  That would probably be quite a bit, since, in life, Samuel Moore was a merchant.  He established the first trading post in the area and had a general merchandising store for over half a century at the center of downtown (the intersections of Main and Indiana Streets). Once again, ol' Scowlly can clue you into the details.  That is, if you can get him out from the backseat of our car.  He's still shaking like a leaf, hiding there from the boogie men.

R.I.P., Town Founding Family,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Cemetery News Beat

Barnstorming and Spelunking (Part Une)

Last Saturday, the Lady With the Red Hair, Scowl-Face, and I took a road trip to southern Indiana.  It was our barnstorming and spelunking adventure.  As always, click the images to bigify.

First we visited the Thomas Singleton round barn, located along state road 57 about four miles south of Washington, Indiana (in Daviess County).  This is how the road looked on Rand McNally's 1927 Indiana road atlas.  We chose that particular year's map because of its significance in bringing down the Ku Klux Klan's political influence in Indiana.  Well, the map didn't actually pull off the trick; it was Singleton's round barn.  More to the point, it was what was hidden inside the barn.  I'll let ol' Scowlly take up the tale from here.

Thomas Singleton (left) standing in front of his round barn (circa 1927)

(Photo copyright © 2013 by Charles D. Griffin.  Used by permission.)

Thomas Singleton built this beautiful barn in 1908.  It is featured in several Hoosier barn books (like this one).  The barn looks pretty much the same today.  Well, at least it did last Saturday.

 

 The Lady With the Red Hair in front of her

great-great uncle's barn

 Scowl-Face & Moi hanging out at the barn

The Lady With the Red Hair is Thomas Singleton's great-great niece.  Her father, whom we all call Gramps, used to spend summers living and working at his great uncle's farm.  There was a moo-cow there when we visited (at the extreme left in the photo below).  It was probably not the same as the moo-cows that lived there when Gramps visited during the 1930s, but it's a reasonable facsimile.  They all moo, don't they?

 

 Former Thomas Singleton farm

 (Moo-Cow at extreme left)

 

The Barn's southern exposure

(with the former Singleton farmhouse to the right)

After our barnstorming, we drove over to U.S. highway 41 (a dozen miles north of Evansville) to the Log Inn, where Abraham Lincoln once ate.  Not being a big dude (both historically and literally) like Lincoln, we didn't.  I blame Scowl-Face.  The restaurant didn't open until 4 p.m., and we were there at 1 p.m.  Ol' Scowlly didn't bother to search for the Log Inn's website.  If he had, we'd have known its public hours, and we also would have known to make reservations.  I was not a happy camper after missing my lunchtime din-dins, as you might well imagine.

The Log Inn

(drawing courtesy of WANE-TV)

So we drove eastward (along Interstate 64) to Lynnville, Indiana, where we lunched at a local cafe.  Then we walked half a block (pretty much the entire town, actually) to visit the Lynnville Public Library, a branch of the Boonville-Warrick County Public Library system.

 Lynnville Branch of

Boonville-Warrick County Public Library

 Your Feline Roving Reporter is

fast on the scene, ready with the story

 

 Just not our day, I guess

The Lynnville Public Library looked so inviting but so peaceful--I was truly disappointed that it was Saturday instead of Tuesday or Thursday.  I would have really enjoyed exploring inside.  Too bad it's not an Evergreen Indiana library.  The Lady With the Red Hair had her E.I. library card at the ready, just in case we passed any E.I. libraries on our adventure.

Honestly, this road trip was becoming a bummer, what with everything being closed.  But we still planned to do some spelunking, and for that, you will need to read our next installment.  (Okay, that was a lame cliffhanger, but, hey, they can't all be gems.)

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  The Pale Barn Ghosts seemed like a logical choice for our first musical closer.  Here's a live performance (March 30, 2013) at the Garryowen Irish Pub in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

P.P.S.   This song is no reflection upon Lynnville, which is quite a quiet, quaint, pleasant sort of village where a feline could enjoy open spaces and filled dumpsters (outside the restaurant at which we ate--well, I ate mine in the car.  Stupid human public health laws.)  I just happen to love "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville," by R.E.M., from the album Reckoning (1984).

Another Local Landmark Has Flown the Coop

2022 UPDATE:  KFC is returning to Mooresville, Indiana.  Learn more here.

 

These are sad days in my hometown.  Another historic landmark business has said goodbye.  Well, Scowl-Face tells me that it wasn't officially a historic site, but there's plenty of history there, make no mistake.

KFC Restaurant Closed Recently

(After Over 40 Years at This Location)

(View Looking South)

The photo caption above says it all.  Kentucky Fried Chicken had been a landmark on South Indiana Street in Mooresville, Indiana, since time immemorial.  This was where The Lady With the Red Hair secured her first gainful employment, if you don't count babysitting.  It was upon this establishment's floor in the mid-1970s that fruit drink was spilled, removing the tile's finish.  (In fairness, any sugary or carbonated beverage would have done that, if left too long on the floor.)  Cherished coming-of-age stories have been exchanged over the decades about working in this hallowed edifice, when we lived in more carefree, prosperous times.  In those days, long ago, you could get fried chicken AND beef & ham sandwiches here.  Take a look at this vintage photo below, which Scowl-Face, who is, after all, town historian and good for a few laughs, and The Lady With the Red Hair, who, let us not forget, was born and bred here (or, maybe, "breaded" is a better word, since she worked with the chicken batter), have identified as circa 1973 or 1974 (circa means they don't really know precisely when, but T.L.W.T.R.H. was working there at the time, so she probably remembers; Scowlly is basing his opinion upon second-hand sources and an alleged knowledge of C-41 print photography color processing):

KFC Restaurant on South Indiana Street (circa 1973-1974)

(View Looking North)

I personally know several kitties who will miss dumpster diving for fried chicken wings.  Where will we find a skilled entrepreneur to fill this culinary void?  Who has the talent, the drive, and the popularity to appeal to the local dining feline and slobberdog public?  Well, now, that much should be plain as the nose on Scowl-Face's, well, face.

Hey, Fellow Felines & Slobberdogs!

 Cauli's is THE Place to Be

(Where Kittens & Slobberpups Eat For Free)

A Definite Market Need to be Filled by Moi

How can this business venture fail, I ask you?  If ever there were an unmet market demand in this town, this is clearly it.  But no longer unmet!  At long last, kitties and slobberdogs have a dining option especially catering to their palates.  It's about time, frankly.

Drop by sometime.  Use the drive-through.  You will get the same friendly service you would have received if you had visited a third of a century ago, when The Lady With the Red Hair dressed in something like this, and looked pretty darn fetching, I'll have you know.

Vintage KFC Uniform (circa late 1960s)

The Lady With the Red Hair Wore a MUCH Smaller Size (Still Does)

If you're looking for Scowl-Face, he's taking the trash to the dumpster.  Good help is SO hard to find.

Open For Business and Raking in the Dough,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Commercial News Beat

P.S.  Who better to be "Taking Care of Business" than Bachman-Turner Overdrive, from the band's album, Bachman-Turner Overdrive II (1973).  Hey, that's right about the same time as that old KFC photo above.  BTO was mentioned in one of my Library's videos.  You'll want to watch, naturally.

 

Our Secret Sunday Sojourn to McCormick's Creek

When the Lady With the Red Hair was just a wee lass, her father would pile everyone into the family station wagon and set out on a secret journey to explore somewhere in central Indiana.  Only her dad knew the ultimate destination, and the rest of the family would have to wait until they arrived to find out where they were headed.  He called these the family's "secret Sunday sojourns."

In keeping with this tradition, Kindly Couple rounded each other up (their kids are now adults and have actual lives), jumped into the family junker, and hot-rodded to destinations unknown (even to them) on their version of a "secret Sunday sojourn."  Driving aimlessly is their trademark.  I was invited, naturally, but there was some question about whether or not I could sneak into whatever restaurant they would undoubtedly stop at, so I politely declined.  Then I stowed away in the back seat.  I'm not missing fine dining, let moi tell you.

Click Images to Bigify

After about 45 minutes of hapless driving, we pulled into McCormick's Creek State Park, just a few miles east of Spencer, Indiana.  Did you know that this was Indiana's first state park?  So they say at the state Department of Natural Resources.  We stopped at the Canyon Inn for lunch.  "Pets" not being allowed into the restaurant (adding insult to injury, I'm denied food AND am saddled with an offensive moniker), I had to sneak around to the back where "kitchen waste" was discarded into various dumpsters.  Being a pro at dumpster diving, I was all set for some tasty cuisine.  Humans throw away perfectly good food in enormous quantities.

Canyon Inn at McCormick's Creek State Park

Take a moment to watch the video on the state's Canyon Inn web page.  It does a much better job than I can in describing its amenities.

Apparently, there were some delicious fried winged dinners on the buffet, because (A) I discovered a TON of chicken bones (still plenty of meat left over) in the aforementioned dumpsters, and (B) I could smell chicken on Kindly Couple's collective breaths.  (Also mashed potatoes with chicken gravy, lettuce [etc.] from salads, heavily buttered dinner rolls, sweet potatoes, possibly peas, and some sort of sweet confectionery desserts.  As a feline, I have a superb sense of smell.)

After stuffing themselves (and moiself) with a delicious meal, we set out for some much-needed exercise (just look at Scowl-Face).  The park is a wonderland of natural splendors in which visitors may leisurely bask. Make with the basking, minions!

First, we walked a short trail to warm our walking muscles.

The Lady With the Red Hair and I

strolling along a trail (well, I'm sitting)

There was plenty of time to sit, waiting for my minions to huff-and-puff up and down those hills along the trails.  You can see that the hiking took its toll.

Scowl-Face after just a few minutes of hiking the first trail

Just kidding.  He was doing fine.

C'mon, Scowlly.  Those legs don't walk themselves

The Lady With the Red Hair looking refreshed

after tackling the first trail

Time to undertake tougher trails, I'd wager.  We drove over to the McCormick's Creek falls, which were rather light on the falling water. Given the terrible drought we endured this past summer, it was nice to see any flowing water.  We felines prefer drinking from moving water sources.  It stays fresher that way.  Just saying.

The canyon near the falls was quite steep, and so climbing down was somewhat treacherous.  The state DNR helpfully posted warning signs for visitors to exercise caution.

Oh, for crying out loud!

Why am I not surprised?

We made it down to the observation areas to take some photos.

On a drought-fortified sandbar in McCormick's Creek

Water levels in the creek were a tad low

(still quite beautiful, however)

 McCormick's Creek Falls

 Let's try an "artsy shot"

Zoom lens appears to work

Sadly, we did not have my Library's fine digital camera on our excursion. Kindly Couple's digital Kodak was satisfactory, but one gets spoiled with those really good cameras.

On one of the stone outcroppings near the falls, there was a nature spirit's face in the living rock.  (Rocks are alive.  Everything is alive.)  Can you see it?  There are eyes, nose, and a round mouth.  Keep looking.

 Nature Spirit's face in the living rock

The Lady With the Red Hair's face

also in a rock formation

That last rock formation was unusually symmetrical.  That hole is perfectly square.  It looks like a window!  Nature does some amazing work.

We drove around in circles along the roads through the park, primarily because Scowl-Face doesn't pay attention to signs or directions or compass points or maps.  In fact, we had no map of the park.  Great planning, dudes. With these two, navigation by "dead" (actually, ded, i.e., deduced) reckoning is an adventure in itself.

We completed our adventure just in time for din-dins.  Timing is everything.

Pass the Winged Dinner Leftovers, If You Please,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Sojourn News Beat

P.S.  If I remember correctly, "You and Me" opened side two of the Moody Blues album, Seventh Sojourn (1972).  What a great band.  Kindly Couple once chased the group's limo after a concert back in the 1980s. True story.  Justin Hayward waved to them as the limo turned (and they drove past).  It might have been John Lodge.  Those limo windows were darkly tinted.

P.P.S.  My Library has a couple book trailers for titles about nature spirits and other elemental beings.  Want to watch?  Sure you do.