Third Grade- The Local Community and Regional Communities, students study
continuity and change in their local community and in communities in other states
and regions. They also learn how people have created and shaped their communities
over time; the roles of citizens and functions of government in the community, state
and nation; and how people in communities interact with their environment, develop
and use technology, and use human and natural resources.
Indiana Academic Standards included in this field tripHistory:
3.1.2 Explain why and how the local community was established and identify its founders and early settlers.
3.1.3 Describe the role of the local community and other communities in the development of the state’s
regions.
3.1.4 Give examples of people, events and developments that brought important changes to the regions of
Indiana.
3.1.5 Create simple timelines that identify important events in various regions of the state.
3.1.6 Use a variety of community resources to gather information about the regional communities.
3.1.7 Distinguish between fact and fiction in historical accounts by comparing documentary sources on
historical figures and events with fictional characters and events in stories.
3.1.8 Write and illustrate descriptions of local communities and regions in Indiana past and present.
Geography:
3.3.9 Identify factors that make the region unique, including cultural diversity, industry, the arts and
architecture.
Primary focus:
1. Richmond Baking Company and Palladium-Item Printing Office
-discuss reasons for establishing
a. Why was each needed?
b. Role of the location of Richmond on the Whitewater River
c. How each helped Richmond and the region
2. Davis Airplane Company
-effect on regional transportation
a. people and goods more easily transported through flight
b. effect on Richmond and region’s economy
c. How did flight change the way people thought about travel
d. discuss the airplane, when it was built, history, etc.
- discuss why changes in airplanes might have occurred
a. What changed and why?
b. time frame of changes
3. Timeline of Development (basement) of Indiana and Richmond
a. emphasize Richmond area settlers
b. tie the historical automobiles to the timeline
**Break** field trip time up with a song, craft activity, or game… helps children
refocus, and be ready to listen
-example: play a game children played in different time periods
(tie to lack of “toys” available… hopscotch required no special
equipment, boys rolled hoops)
-example: read a short field trip appropriate story
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims by Robert San Souci (Chronicle, 1991)
Secondary exhibits: very brief discussions- just enough to whet appetites for further
study and visits
1. Old Time Main Street
-tie to timeline (basement)
-discuss changes that occurred related to the timeline
2. Solomon Dickinson log cabin and Roberts School House
-proximity of neighbors and how that affected “community”
3. Native American Artifacts
-what Native Americans were in this area
-relate to timeline
-relationship between Native Americans and settlers
Accompanying Activities:
1. Teacher packet-sheet containing areas to be covered and accompanying State
Standards
-vocabulary
-songs
-games
-activity sheets
-web pages as further resources
http://www.richmondbaking.com
www.waynet.org/waynet/spotlight/2003/030115palladiumitem.htm
www.logcabinvillage.org/tour-marineschool.html (virtual tour)
www.abcteach.com/docs
www.atozteacherstuff.com/Grades_K-2
www.campsilos.org/mod2/teachers/life.shtml (history detective)
www.proteacher.com/090029.shtml
www.heritage.uen.org/pioneers
www.fun.families.com/blog/celebrate-pioneer-day
http://davismonoplane.com/
http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/th_1.html
http://www.dawcl.com/search.asp
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/
-poems
Mississippi Mud : Three Prairie Journals by Ann Turner, 1997
-simple art/craft ideas
-story list for further in-class reading
The Connors of Connor Prairie by Janet Hale, 1989
The Floating House by Scott R. Sanders
A Place Called Freedom by Scott Russell Sanders
The Glorious Fourth at Prairietown byJoan Anderson
Log Cabin in the Woods: a true story about a pioneer boy by Joanne Landers
Henry
A Clearing in the Forest by Joanne Landers Henry
2.
-ideas for furthering understanding (writing activities, story webs)
Digital pictures- taken at the museum and emailed to the classroom teacher
-pictures of individual students (preferred- but you’d have to make sure
you took pictures of every child)
3.
4.
-small group pictures
-whole group picture- emailed to teacher and posted in the
museum for the children to show to parents when they come back
as a family
Take-home invitation- each child takes home an “invitation” from the
museum, to bring their families and return.
-outline areas covered in the field trip
Teacher field trip evaluation and suggestion sheet
Wayne County Historical Museum
1150 North A Street
Richmond, IN 47374
765-962-5756
Dear Parents and Family Members,
Your child just returned from a field trip to the Wayne County Historical Museum.
He/She got to see and do many interesting things… see exciting exhibits, sing songs,
hear stories, play games, and much more.
The third grade field trip focused on the always exciting Davis Airplane Company,
the Richmond Baking Company, the Palladium-Item, , and a timeline of the
development of Richmond and Indiana, among other things. Please ask your student
about his/her favorite part.
Your child would really enjoy sharing this wonderful experience with you and other
family members. Your family is invited to come to the Wayne County Historical
Museum to explore all we have to offer.*
Our hours are Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday – Sunday, 1:00
p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Please come share your child’s educational excitement.
Sincerely,
Jim Harlan
Executive Director
*minimal entrance fee
Wayne County Historical Museum
1150 North A Street
Richmond, IN 47374
765-962-5756
Field Trip Evaluation and Suggestion form
School_________________________
Grade Level_____________
Teacher_______________________
date___________________
1. Did this field trip meet your expectations? Why or why not?
2. What other Wayne County Historical Museum areas should be part of this field
trip and fit into your school corporation’s curriculum and your State
Standards?
3. In what ways could we have made this field trip better for your class?
4. Are there any activities, websites, books, etc. that you could suggest to
accompany this field trip information packet?
Thank you for completing this evaluation and suggestion sheet.
Vocabulary- 3rd grade
architecture- the art and science of designing and constructing buildings, a style or fashion
of building, especially one that is typical of a period of history or of a particular place
citizen- somebody who has the right to live in a country because he or she was born there or
has been legally accepted as a permanent resident, a permanent resident of a county,
town, or city
community- a group of people who live in the same area, or the area in which they live, a
group of people with a common background or with shared interests within society
diversity- a variety of something such as opinion, color, or style
government- a group of people who have the power to make and enforce laws for a country
or area, the management or control of something
industry- organized economic activity connected with the production, manufacture, or
construction of a particular product or range of products
resources- a reserve supply of something such as money, personnel, or equipment,
somebody or something that is a source of help or information
The History of Richmond Baking
1902 - In 1855, David Hoerner opened a bakery in Richmond Indiana. By 1881, Hoerner had taken on a partner
named Knopf and was operating in this brick building at 13-15 South Fifth Street. In 1902, a small group of local
investors purchased the Hoerner-Knopf bakery, renaming it the Richmond Baking Company. One of those
investors, William H. Quigg, became the new bakery's general manager and ran the firm until his death in 1918.
1921 - In early November 1921 - three years after company founder
William H. Quigg died and was succeeded as general manager by his son,
Eugene K. Quigg - the company moved to a larger facility at 520 North
Sixth Street. This move marked the beginning of a period of prosperity
for the bakery under the entrepreneurial leadership of E.K. Quigg. More
than 80 years later, the firm's offices are still located in the turreted
brick building, and its products are still made daily in the adjoining
bakery.
1930's - In this photo from the late 1930's, company employees gather
near the bakery door. Judging by the worker's flour topped shoes in the
lower-right corner, the break for the snapshot was a short one.
1941-1945 - During World War II, The Richmond Baking Company was
contracted by the government to bake the biscuits included in the
prepackaged "C rations" issued to every serviceman. These "ration
biscuits' - healthful, whole-grain crackers - weren't exactly loved by the
GI's but they got the job done!
1950's - In 1950, E.K. Quigg died and was succeeded as president by his
brother. Robert Quigg.
was succeeded by his son,
first steps was also one of
In his first year as
for on-site storage of flour
that had to be unloaded,
a bakery that used more
saver.
1970's - In 1969 J.R. Quigg died and
James R. Quigg Jr. One of Jim Quigg's
the biggest in the company's history.
president, he installed six huge tanks
and sugar. Before 1969, the flour was purchased in 100-pound bags - bags
transported to the bakery's upper floor, opened and sifted individually. For
than 100,000 pounds of flour each day, the bulk bins are a major money
1970's-1980's - During the
1970's and '80's, the company
made an important shift: In
addition to making and selling
its own baked goods such as cracker and cookies, it began to bake items as ingredients for their firms'
food products. Breadings for chicken and pork fritters, graham cracker crusts for pies and cheesecakes,
cookie crumb concoctions for frozen treats - all are now mainstays of the Richmond Baking Company's
business.
2002- As we celebrated our 100th year we share that milestone with another
American icon, the teddy bear named in the fall of 1900 to honor Theodore
"Teddy" Roosevelt. Theo the Super Bear, our teddy bear cookie, is more than
a tasty treat; he's a fitting emblem for the Richmond Baking Company, the
nation's oldest family-owned cookie and cracker company.
Palladium-Item
1175 North A St., Richmond, IN 47374
(765) 962-1575
www.pal-item.com
To apply for a job, e-mail or mail a cover letter, resume,
references and salary history/requirements to the Human
Resources Department.
Publisher: Juli Metzger
Managing Editor: Mickey Johnson
Founded: 1831
Joined Gannett: 1976
Milestones:
The Richmond Palladium was founded as a weekly on Jan. 1, 1831, by Nelson Boon, grandnephew of pioneer
Daniel Boone. The paper's name derives from the Palladium, the temple to ancient Greek goddess Pallas
Athena; mythology maintained that as long as the Palladium stood, Athens would be free — hence, "defender of
freedom." Acquisitions included the Sun-Telegram in 1907 and the Daily Item in 1929. The newspapers
published as the separate Palladium (evening) and Item (morning) until 1939, when the two merged into the
Palladium-Item but with separate morning and evening editions. The newspapers were purchased by Gannett in
1976 and the morning and evening editions merged to a p.m. cycle in 1977. The newspaper became a USA
TODAY print site in September 1984.
About Richmond:
Richmond was settled in 1806 by Quakers resettling from North Carolina because of their opposition to slavery,
and the area became an important link in the Underground Railway. The city was the birthplace of recorded
jazz, with such notables as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael coming to Richmond by
train from Chicago to record at the former Gennett Studios. Richmond is known as the Rose City because the
area was formerly the center of the greenhouse rose industry for many years.
Population: 99,964
Median family household income: $40,796
Median age: 38.4 years
Largest employers: Belden Wire and Cable, Primex Plastics, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Reid Hospital
Key colleges: Earlham College, Earlham School of Religion (Quaker), Bethany Seminary (Brethren), Indiana
University East, Ivy Tech State College
DavisMonoplane.com
Welcome to DavisMonoplane.com, a website dedicated to the Davis Monoplane, a rare vintage aircraft designed and built in Richmond,
Indiana by Walter C. Davis from 1929 to 1930. The petite Davis parasol-type monoplane was an enchanting and strictly for-fun airplane that
has enjoyed a long lasting popularity. The Davis monoplane evolved from the Vulcan American Moth after Walted C. Davis acquired the
Vulcan Aircraft and Doyle Aircraft companies. Davis Aircraft manufactured seven different Davis models in its short life, and a total of
approximately 60 aircraft. These aircraft included the Davis D-1 (23 aircraft), the D-1-66 (4 aircraft), the D-1-K (11 aircraft), the D-1-L (aka
D-1-85 - 1 aircraft), the D-1-W (8 aircraft converted from D-1-K's), the 1929 racer (1 aircraft) and the V-3 (22 aircraft). Today only a handful
of airplanes remain spread out throughout the United States, Mexico and Argentina, of which only four or five are in flying condition, and at
least 4 are currently being restored.
The mision of DavisMonoplane.com is to provide a place for Davis monoplane owners and enthusiasts to share information, specifications
and stories of the few Davis aircraft remaining. A complete set of plans (scanned from the original plans) has been obtained and will be made
available through this webpage in a couple of months. We hope to also include more and better information of all of the Davis monoplanes
out there as well as all restoration projects underway.
Example of Drawings available:
File 0009D - Fuselage Structure
File 0006-1117 - Aileron Bell crank:
Underground
Railroad
How it came to be
The Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad, but a path for the journey
made by thousands of people of extraordinary courage on a quest for freedom during the early
days of American History, fleeing northward, some to Canada. This path was comprised of
individuals who risked their own freedom to help runaway slaves escape. The Underground
Railroad as many of us know it became a part of the American vocabulary around 1830, but
slave escape routes were formed long before then. As early as the 1600s slaves were brought
into North America by the French and the English.
England fostered the slave trade from the middle of the sixteenth century to the opening of the
nineteenth. It is estimated that she sent more than 100,000 slaves annually to her American
colonies. In 1619 the first Africans were brought into English colonies, in particular to
Jamestown, VA.3
The slave trade under British laws continued to supply Canada, as other colonies, with slaves.
The rigors of the climate made negro slavery unprofitable; there had been but few negros
imported; public sentiment was moving towards universal freedom. On July 9, 1793, the
parliament of Upper Canada prohibited the importation of slaves, and provided for gradual
emancipation by enacting that every child thereafter born of a negrees slave should be free at
the age of twenty-five years.4
America however, (United States) did not
emancipate the slave until 1865, and up to
then clearly enabled the slave owner, even
in so called free states such as Indiana and
Ohio. The fugitive slave law of 1793 was
similar to the agreement made in 1787,
when the compact was accepted to forever
exclude slavery from the states that would
be formed out of the northwest territory,
except that the act of 1793 provided for
the reclamation of fugitives from justice as
well as from service. It was accepted by
all as a just law, permitting the owners of
slaves to reclaim their property. The fugitive slave law that was passed in 1850 gave the slave
holders, or those hunting their runaway slaves, the power to organize a posse at any point in
the United States
to aid them in
negroes.5
running down their
An organized
runaway slaves
begun towards the
century. In 1786
complained about
runaway slaves
"society of
for such
some of the
in the Underground
white, it
free African
came to the aid of
system to assist
seems to have
end of the 18th
George Washington
how one of his
was helped by a
Quakers, formed
purposes."6 While
individuals involved
Railroad were
was mostly the
American who
the escapees.
The phrase
“Underground
Railroad” wasn’t
used until 1831,
when Tice Davids,
a slave from
Maysville, Ky., fled across the Ohio River into Ohio. As Davids fled, his white master followed
him. When Davids reached the Ohio River, he jumped in and swam across. The master found a
skiff at the riverbank and crossed the river himself, planning to catch Davids and bring him
back. But when the slave owner reached the other side, Davids was nowhere to be found. No
one would admit to having seen Davids. The slave master couldn’t believe it. To him, it
seemed as if Davids had simply disappeared. “He must have gone on some underground road,”
the owner said.7 The system even used terms used in railroading: the homes and businesses
where fugitives would rest and eat were called "stations" and "depots" and were run by
"stationmasters," those who contributed money or goods were "stockholders," and the
"conductor" was responsible for moving fugitives from one station to the next. Because the
railroad was so poplar is another reason given for this terminology being used in the
Underground Railroad.
The Underground Railroad in Indiana
Clark County, Indiana
1830
The first know route established in Indiana was at Jeffersonville, early in the thirties. A negro
preacher named Alexander White, who lived at Salem, Washington County, along with his
friends, moved to Jeffersonville after being run out of Salem. They ran into trouble in
Jeffersonville as well, and when things reached a crisis, men like Dr. T. N. Field, Harvey
Campbell, Captain Dryden, J.C. Lampton and others interposed. A route was established and
put into successful operation, having
stations at Charlestown, Lexington, Marble Hill and Bethlehem, making connection with
historic Hanover. Here a colored man named George Evans had already established a line with
stations at Graysville, then called Africa, Wirt, College Hill, and ending at Butlersville.
Corruption in this route made change necessary and this led to the formation of the Madison or
Tibbett's route in 1845. Eventually, three grand trunk lines converged at Levi Coffin's
residence in Newport, leading from Cincinnati, Madison and Jeffersonville. 8
Dr. Nathaniel Field of Jeffersonville was the
great anti-slavery leader of Clark County
after the death of Jonathan Jennings. He was
born at Middletown in Jefferson County,
Kentucky, of slave holding parents, but
conceived a strong aversion to the institution
(of slavery) and went to Indiana (1829) to
practice medicine in a free state. He was a
highly cultured man and when Alexander
Campbell organized the Brownsboro Christian
Church and crossed over into Clark County on
a preaching tour, Dr. Field was one of his
warmest supporters and became himself the
ordained pastor of the first Christian Church in Jeffersonville, and baptized hundreds of
converts in the Ohio River. He had the courage and devotion of an old Hebrew patriarch.9
8Madison
9Oldham
Courier, Sept. 19, 1888, The Underground Railroad, the Madison Route, Prominent Abettors of It
County history, Volume 2, Chapter XVIII, by Lucien Rule, Filson Club, Louisville, Kentucky
Indiana's Anti-Slavery League
1850
In early southern Indiana most of the people were in sympathy with slavery. Most of them had
moved to Indiana from slave states and had regarded slaves as legal property of the slave
holders. At the time of the passage of the fugitive slave law in 1850 there was little open
opposition to slavery. But after the passage of the law so many brutal acts of kidnapping were
committed that a great change came over the people. Negroes could be kidnapped and sold
into slavery who were free born and this could be done legally.
The anti-slavery league was formed to help the slaves escape and outwit the slave hunters.
Indiana's superintendent of the anti-slavery league was J. T. Hanover but was known to all by
the name of John Hansen. Hansen worked and traveled over the first three or four tiers of
counties all along the southern borders of Indiana, pretending to be a representative from an
eastern real estate firm and received large packages of mail at many of the county seats and
large towns all along southern Indiana.
There were many places that runaway negroes crossed the Ohio river from Kentucky into
Indiana, and the anti-slavery league put skiffs and boats along the river to aid the fugitives.
The most used routes were above the mouth of the Wabash River on the Ohio and on up to the
neighborhood of Cincinnati.
At Diamond island near West Franklin, Posey County, many were helped over the river and
taken over two routes. One route was to cross the Wabash river at Webb's Ferry near the
southern line of Gibson County, go up along the Wabash or near it in Illinois to a rendezvous
where they were then carried north near Lake Michigan in Lake Porter or LaPorte Counties.
The negroes were kept secreted in holds until a number were gathered then taken along the
Michigan shore on up into Canada.
The other route from Diamond Island was to a point in Vanderburg county then known as the
Calvert neighborhood, then northward to various rendezvous until one of gathering places near
Lake Michigan. Near the city of Evansville was another very popular place where the
runaways crossed as there were many free negroes in the city to help hide the fugitives.
The third route was a short distance above the mouth of the Little Pigeon. From this crossing
the route went through Warrick County then north to Davies and Green counties and finally to
Lake Michigan.20 The fourth place for crossing the Ohio river was at a point midway between
Owensboro, Kentucky and Rockport, Indiana.
The next crossing place was near the mouth of Indian Creek in Harrison county where the
fugitives were ferried across, then carried to Corydon, north across Washington, corner of
Jackson into Jennings then through Decatur, Rush and Fayette counties, into Wayne County
among the Quakers. They were piloted through Western Ohio to Lake Erie then onto Canada.
Probably more slaves crossed the Ohio river in front of Louisville than any place else from the
mouth of the Wabash to Cincinnati. The black settlements at Jeffersonville, Clarksville and
New Albany were the reason for this. The crossing at these places were all conveyed to
Wayne county, Indiana, and on to the Lake. Wayne county had a large community of Quakers
and the belief among fugitives was, that if they made it to Wayne County, the prospect of
finding them was very remote.
Levi Coffin House
State Historic Site
A part of the legendary Underground Railroad for fleeing slaves of pre-Civil War days, this registered
National Historic Landmark is a Federal style brick home built in 1839.
Levi and Catharine Coffin were legendary in helping many former slaves escape to freedom in the North.
Levi is often referred to as the President of the Underground Railroad.
Life for a runaway slave was full of hazards. The journey to freedom meant traveling only a few miles at
night, using the North Star as a map and trying to avoid search parties. Often, escaped slaves would hide
in homes or on the property of antislavery supporters. These stops to freedom were called Underground
Railroad stations because they resembled stops a train would make between destinations. "Underground"
refers the secret nature of the system.
To the thousand of escaped slaves, an eight-room Federal style brick home in Newport (Fountain City),
Indiana, became a safe haven on their journey to Canada. This was the home of Levi
and Catharine Coffin, North Carolina Quakers who opposed slavery. During the 20 years
they lived in Newport, the Coffins helped more than 2,000 slaves reach safety.
In their flight, slaves used three main routes to
cross into freedom: Madison and Jeffersonville,
Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio. From these points,
the fugitives were taken to Newport. Once in the
house, the presence of the runaway slaves could
be concealed for up to several weeks, until they gained enough
strength to continue their journey.
Escaping slaves were well hidden
for their travels in this wagon
when grain bags were piled
around the hiding area.
So successful was the Coffin sanctuary that, while in Newport, not
a single slave failed to reach freedom. One of the many
slaves who hid in the Coffin home was "Eliza", whose
story is told in Uncle Tom's Cabin. In 1847, the Coffins
moved to Cincinnati so that Levi could operate a
wholesale warehouse which supplied goods to free labor
stores. The Coffins continued to assist the cause, helping
another 1,300 slaves escape.
The Coffin house was purchased in 1967 by the State of
Indiana. The house was restored and then opened to the public in 1970. The site is a registered
National Historic Landmark and is operated by the Levi Coffin House Association.
Levi Coffin
Catharine Coffin
Underground Railroad Code Words and Phrases
Baggage
Bundles of wood
Canaan
Drinking gourd
Forwarding
Freedom Train
Gospel Train
Heaven or Promised land
Load of Potatoes
Moses
Parcel
Preachers
River Jordan
Shepherds
Station
Station Master
Stockholder
Escaping slaves
Fugitives to be expected
Canada
Big Dipper and the North star
Taking fugitive slaves from station to station
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad
Canada
Escaping slaves hidden under the farm produce in a wagon
Harriet Tubman
Fugitives to be expected
Leaders, speakers underground railroad
The Mississippi
People escorting slaves
Place of safety and temporary refuge, safe-house
Keeper of safe-house
Donor of money, clothing, or food to the Underground Railroad
"The wind blows from the South today"
"When the sun comes back and the first
quail calls”
"The river bank makes a mighty good road”
"The dead trees will show you the way"
"Left foot, peg foot"
A warning to Underground Railroad workers that
fugitive slaves were in the area.
A particular time of year good for escaping (early
spring)
A reminder that the tracking dogs can't follow the
scent through the water.
A reminder that moss grows on the NORTH side of
dead trees (just in case the stars aren't visible)
A visual clue for escapees left by an Underground
"The river ends between two hills"
"A friend with friends"
"The friend of a friend sent me"
"Steal away, steal away, steal away to
Jesus"
Railroad worker famous because of his wooden leg.
A clue for the directions to the Ohio River
A password used to signal arrival of fugitives with
Underground Railroad conductor
A password used by fugitives travelling alone to
indicate they were sent by the Underground Railroad
network
(Words to a song) - used to alert other slaves that an
escape attempt was coming up
Underground Railroad – Coded Messages
Using the Code Words and Phrases sheet decode the following messages.
The wind blows from the South today and the shepherds have many bundles of wood
to keep them warm.
Have you seen the station master? A load of potatoes need to be taken to the River
Jordan and given to the shepherds.
It is cloudy tonight. The baggage should be placed by the river bank for it makes a
mighty good road.
The stockholder has arrived. Excess baggage can be forwarded by notifying the station
master of its arrival.
Tell the station master that Moses knows of a parcel which must be forwarded. The
parcel, which contains bundles of wood, should be delivered to the shepherds that
watch the sheep where the river ends between two hills.
Make up some of your own:
Name_________________________
Davis Airplane Company
Richmond
Baking
Company
Levi Coffin
House
s
Name_________________________
Part I: Introduction
What was it like to live in a log cabin?
Wayne County
Historical Museum
Picture a space no larger than your living room. Fill most of one end with a stone fireplace. Add two small
windows and a door to the south. Lay rough boards across the beams to make a loft and put down split logs for
the floor. Arrange a few pieces of furniture around the room-a table in the center, a chest, some straight chairs
or stools, a trunk, a low rocking chair, and a pole bed in one corner. Shelves will hold the dishes.
Now, we can let our family move into their furnished home.
The "family" probably will be a large one. First, we see "Ma" and "Pa" and their three children. (It's their house,
according to the land grant locked in the tin chest under the bed.) There are, also, Ma's sister and her husband
and their two (a third on the way). Pa's brother and his wife and their two are going to stay while the men are
building cabins for the other families. For good measure, we should include a grandparent or a maiden aunt. We
won't count the itinerant preacher because he will move on in a week or two.
What time is it?
Nearly noon, according to the sun shining in at the door. (It opens to the south for good reason.) Everybody is
hungry-but there is no fire as yet and no back-log for the fireplace although there are chips and other kindling,
and of course the trees are not too far away. But Pa, or somebody, will have to walk four miles to the settlement
and borrow some "seed fire" in the black kettle. He will walk because he can walk faster than the oxen couldand besides, the oxen need to rest.
Or perhaps the sun is not shining. It has been drizzling and raining off and on for nearly a week. (You know
how spring weather is, sometimes.) Everything is wet, or at least damp, including clothing and boots and
bedding and firewood-and the babies.
Part II: Building a Log Cabin
First, there is a difference between a log cabin and a log house. Cabins were cruder, built
with round logs having most of the bark left on. The log house was a more "finished"
structure, made of logs hewn "square" with the adze and broadaxe. The adze blade was set
on its handle somewhat as a hoe is. The woodsman first "chopped" notches in the top of the
log, then turned it to the side. The broad axe was used to slice off the uniform cuts made by
the adze. The finished log was more rectangular than square, its depth or width depending
upon the original tree and tapering some-what from the butt or wide end. This made one
end slightly wider than the other; so in building the walls, the big ends of the logs were
turned first one way and then the other to keep the walls level.
The logs were fitted together at the corners by means of notches and saddles. Hangers for
clothing or harness were made by inserting a peg into a hole bored in the wall, or by
nailing a forked stick in a handy place.
Windows and doors were cut after the walls were up and short "blocks" of logs were cut
for the ends to rest on.
Open spaces in the walls were chinked with long
wedges split from logs, like uneven slices of bread.
Clay and sand or grass mixtures were plastered over
them to keep most of the weather outside.
Rough boards from a sawmill, or crude ones split from logs, made the floor of the loft,
providing sleeping space for the overflow from the "pallets" around the fireplace. If there
was a pole bed in the corner, it might be shared by Pa and Ma.
Was wood different back in the 1840's? The Department of Forestry at Ames says that the
trees cut by the earliest settlers had grown, perhaps for centuries, on virgin soil rich in the
elements that produced lumber of superior quality. Instead of deteriorating, as our later
growth timber does, it actually seemed to harden with time.
Part III: The Crowded Cabin
A well-constructed log house would have been relatively comfortable, with its thick walls
and its close-to-the-earth design. No doubt much of the heat from the fireplace escaped up
the chimney on windy days, and rainy spells must have been tiresome. Body heat helped to
keep the numerous occupants warm. But the pioneer homemaker was not concerned with
the temperature inside her house. She had other things to occupy her thoughts.
There were many beautiful days when work could be done outdoors where there was
plenty of room. But let's consider, as an example, one of our spells of gloomy weather
when it rains or drizzles for days on end, or when a blizzard strikes.
Great-grandmother really knew the meaning of "togetherness." Bad weather brought the
men, the children, the relatives, the in-laws, the preacher, and perhaps a tin peddler, inside.
The men worked with their hands, making or mending things - harness, tools, furniture.
They talked and argued, or slept and snored. For the women there were the usual
household tasks, possibly game to dress and prepare for cooking, and always keeping an
eye on the babies to see that they didn't get too near the fire. There was sewing and
mending to be done - and what a bother it was to lose or break the last good needle.
How did the children spend their time when they were house-bound? The older ones
played with the babies, amusing them by tossing and blowing a feather into the air or by
playing catch with a rabbit's fluffy cotton tail. They watched the men as they cleaned their
guns or poured lead bullets. They cracked and ate nuts and poked their fingers into the
bread dough or into the cream on the crock of milk. The boys teased the girls, or perhaps
they curled up in a corner with a favorite dog and listened as the men discussed politics or
spun yarns about how it used to be when they were tykes.
Sometimes, the first "school" was taught by the mother or an aunt in the midst of such
varied activities. A blackened shovel made a good slate; so did the hard packed earth of the
floor, or the frost on the windows. There were homemade games like checkers, and dollbabies made of whatever was available. For the boys there was the great outdoors and the
possibility of stalking a wolf, regardless of weather.
The first church services often were held in a home in a community and provided a
welcome break in the monotony. In summer, young people often walked barefooted until
they were nearly there, putting on their shoes just before entering the church or meeting
place. Christmas was not the festival it is now. Weddings and funerals were held in the
home.
Part IV: Preparing Meals
No matter how many were under foot, the cooking had to be done. Its preparation
depended upon what was available. Game was abundant; fruits and vegetables were
seasonal; crop produce could be stored in root cellars, dried, or preserved. Turnips and
carrots, pumpkins, potatoes, apples, berries, nuts and pork gave some variety but meal was
the mainstay. Cornmeal was made from white corn, sometimes yellow or even red.
Cornbread or mush were staples on the menu. Mush was put on to cook by mid-afternoon.
Buckwheat was a quick-growing crop which could be planted late and still have time to
mature. The meal was used for pancakes. In November, 1959, a recipe for old fashioned
buckwheat cakes was given in the Des Moines Register: It is repeated here, by permission
of the editor: * "Pour 1 pint of warm water into a large pitcher or crock. Add ½ package of
dry yeast; 1 teaspoon of sale and 2 tablespoons of dark molasses. Then add enough
buckwheat flour to make a thin batter. (Scant 2 cups.) Cover the pitcher and let stand in a
warm place over night (or all day). In the morning, beat the batter down and add 1
teaspoon soda dissolved in a little warm water.
Bake on a greased, hot griddle, drench in hot maple syrup or honey and start eating. Boy!
These are the real, genuine buckwheat pancakes. You can keep the batter "going" for a
long time. Save ½ cup of batter in the refrigerator and use it in place of the ½ cake of yeast
for the new batch. Proceed as for first time.
The cakes get a bit tangier as you go along and we like that bit of sourness, but some
epicures prefer to make a new batch each time."
Use plain buckwheat flour, not the self-rising ready-mix.
Apples were peeled and dried, later to be soaked and cooked with a little honey or
sorghum. William Jones of Washington remembers that his mother put down crab apples in
sorghum, probably thinned with vinegar and spiced. Fried, dried-apple pies were a
welcome addition to the menu. The cooked and sweetened fruit was placed on a small
round of pie dough and the edges sealed like a turnover. The pies were then fried slowly in
a heavy iron skillet, first on one side and then on the other.
Mr. Jones told about a wintertime confection their family liked. Parched corn and nutmeats
were ground up and mixed with boiled syrup made of sorghum and butter, somewhat like
cracker-jacks. The latter was made by cooking sorghum and butter in a heavy skillet until it
"spun a hair." The syrup was poured over popped corn, stirred, and spread out to "crisp."
(Use 9 cup sorghum, '1 cup corn syrup, 1 tablespoon butter, pinch of salt, to a couple of
batches of popcorn.)
Pork was almost too plentiful and early settlers suffered from a steady diet of it. It might be
salted down and smoked, or "fried down." Or it was used fresh, often by sharing and
exchanging with neighbors. The boss of a crew of men working on construction jobs might
buy a whole hog and have it "fried down" for the use of the camp cook. The sliced or
ground meat was fried, packed into jars and covered with melted lard or "fryings." In this
way, the meat "kept" during warm weather.
Beef was less common. Not only was the meat enjoyed, but also the tallow was valued for
candle-making. A portion was dried behind the stove or near the fire, after first being cured
and smoked. It became so dry and hard that it could only be chipped off, giving the
familiar name to our "chipped beef" gravy.
Part V: Keeping House
The pioneer homemaker had little time to worry about housekeeping as we know it in
terms of wax and starch. She would be aghast at the way we waste water. The springs were
always downhill, going with empty buckets, but up hill, coming back with them filled. It is
easy to see why water was saved, and why the washing was taken to the source of water
when the weather permitted. There were some wells, but they were shallow and usually
contaminated. An old household encyclopedia says that the best way to keep the well free
from worms (mosquito larvae) is to put a small fish in it. Another doubts that bathing is
healthful but says that a farmer doing heavy labor may safely bathe twice a year. His bath
towel often was a worn, discarded undergarment or piece of blanket. His bathroom didn't
include rolls of pink tissue. Instead, soft cloths were kept at hand and used somewhat like
the well-known roller towel. Soiled cloths were washed when they needed it. The baby's
didies were used over and over, being hung up to dry between times. The "washing" was
spread on the grass or draped over bushes to dry outdoors. Bedding was hung out to "air"
during the winter.
It was a constant struggle to keep things half-way clean. Earliest floors were the hard
packed earth. Edith Helm Jones remembers a family who poured the dishwater on a
different spot every day, to help keep the dust down. In time, the grease from the dishwater
formed a fairly impenetrable wax-like surface. Crude brooms were made of buckbrush
(coralberry) lashed together and trimmed evenly across the end.
In some homes, dishwashing was simplified. After plates and bowls were washed the
dishrag was "rinsed out" and used to wipe the dishes, which were then set back on the table
to dry.
Alexander Young made a trip to town daily 4 1/2 miles) to get the mail and buy a
newspaper. If he was not able to get a paper, he would read one while in Washington. The
noon hour at the Young home always found a gathering of neighbors to receive their mail.
So, even during a "bad spell," lively discussions made the time pass quickly, for adults and
for the listening children.
If a letter came, it was read again and again before it was tucked away beneath the clock on
the shelf.
Some of the floors were almost like pincushions. Those made of split logs were called
"puncheon" floors, from a French word meaning "to prick." These floors often were so
rough and uneven that only three legs of a chair would rest on the floor at one time, hence
three-legged stools. Cracks between the logs might be filled with earth, or they might serve
as a spittoon for the men and women who chewed tobacco.
The loft was for sleeping. Stairs took up space so the loft was reached by a ladder,
sometimes crosspieces lashed to saplings, or crude steps hewn out of a log. If a young lady
was vain enough to wear a hoop skirt, she had to lift the front of it when she attempted to
negotiate the ladder-stairs.
There was little room for any but the most essential furnishings. Houseplants would have
frozen. Curtains added charm but at the expense of light. Books were rare and precious.
The home library, if there was one, usually consisted of a Bible.
Liquor was the most profitable means of marketing grain and it was therefore plentiful and
cheap.
Hospitality was the common denominator in pioneer communities, the latchstring was
always out.
The latch was a wooden bar lifted by means of a leather thong run through a small hole
above the bar. To lock the door, one had only to pull the latchstring inside. There was no
way to lock the door when everyone left the house. Ingenious settlers sometimes hid the
latchstring by bringing it out someplace away from the bar, much as we hide the key under
the doormat. Mischievous youngsters must have teased each other by pulling the thong
inside to lock another out in the cold.
Malaria, or the ague, was believed to be caused by the miasma that rose when soil was
turned, although it actually was carried by mosquitoes that swarmed over the undrained
prairies. A "cure" for its intermittent chills and fevers would, according to Dr. Chase,
"sicken and vomit some, but it scarcely ever needed repeating." Old cemeteries have rows
of small stones for the children taken by typhoid; often an entire family was wiped out in a
few weeks.
However crowded the log house may have been, it still was better than the wagon-life of
the trail, or a makeshift lean-to. And no matter how many lived there this was not as bad as
having to eat, sleep, and live in the same small room in which one member of the family
might be dying.
Name_______________________________________________
Name______________________________________
Name: ________________________________
3rd Grade Indiana History Vocabulary
Please complete the crossword puzzle below
11
10
6
14
17
18
16
5
12
1
2
3
9
7
8
4
15
13
agriculture
architecture
government
citizen
industry
local
community
nation
Across:
1. the occupation, business, or science of
cultivating the land, producing
3. a group of people who have the power to make
and enforce laws for a country
4. belonging to or characteristic of a geographic
region
7. relating to, situated in, or providing a service for
a particular area, especially the area
11. a variety of something such as opinion, color,
or style
12. an area forming part of a federal country such
as the United States or Australia with its
13. the art and science of designing and
constructing buildings, a style or fashion of
14. involving, containing, or based on facts,
consisting of the truth or including only those
15. novels and stories that describe imaginary
people and events, the act of pretending
17. a group of people who live in the same area, or
the area in which they live, a
diversity
regional
factual
resources
fictional
settler
founder
state
historical
timeline
Down:
2. somebody who has the right to live in a country
because he or she was born there or
5. a reserve supply of something such as money,
personnel, or equipment, somebody
6. somebody who establishes a town, institution,
business, or organization
8. organized economic activity connected with the
production, manufacture, or
9. a graphic representation showing the order
events happen in, beginning with the
10. a new resident of a place, especially a place
that is unpopulated or populated by people
16. a community of people or peoples living in a
defined territory and organized under a
18. existing, happening, or relating to the past,
based on the past, or describing people
First Settlers
Founded by North Carolina Quakers who settled along the Whitewater River in 1806, Richmond capitalized
on the location as a trading and transportation center and became the county seat of Wayne county in
1873.
The first permanent settlers on the present site of Richmond were John Smith and Jeremiah Cox, two
North Carolina Quakers who arrived in 1806. They came here by way of Quaker Settlements in Western
Ohio.
John Smith, who opened the first general store, entered land on the eastern bluff of the Whitewater River,
south of present Main Street. He erected a pole log cabin near South Third and B Streets.
Jeremiah Cox, who built the first grist mill, bought two quarter sections of land north of the present Main
Street. Four acres had been cleared and planted in corn.
David Hoover and several other land seekers traced a section line from a point eight miles north of
Dayton, Ohio to the banks of the Whitewater River early in 1806. The Hoovers took up land north of town.
However, these settlers were not the first ones who had acquired land in the present Wayne County.
Richard Rue and George Holman, along with Joseph Cox and Thomas McCoy and their families, had settled
in Elkhorn and Abington areas of the county in 1805.
Greenville Treaty
When Smith and Cox acquired land on the site of Richmond, the only part of Indiana Territory open for
settlement was east of the old Greenville Treaty boundary. This line ran from Fort Recovery, Ohio, in a
southwesterly direction to a point on the Ohio River, opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River. It was
established in 1795 by General (Mad) Anthony Wayne in a treaty with the Indians at Greenville. It crosses
U.S. 40 about two miles west of Richmond. All land west of this boundary belonged to the Indians when
Smith and Cox settled on the eastern bluff of the East Fork of the Whitewater River in 1806.
The Indians claimed the Whitewater Valley as their hunting and fishing ground "from time immemorial," in
the words of Chief Turtle. In 1809 Governor Harrison signed a treaty with the Indians which opened for
settlement a 12-mile strip, paralleling the Greenville boundary line. This was called the Twelve Mile
Purchase. The line crosses U.S. 40 in western Cambridge City.
First Streets Laid Out
John Smith, owner of the land south of Main Street, came to the conclusion in 1816 that there should be a
system and plan to govern the location of the houses and streets in the settlement. For that reason, he
proposed to his neighbor, Jeremiah Cox, whose farm adjoined his to the north, that they lay out the town
site. Jeremiah Cox refused to enter into the building project so John Smith hired David Hoover to survey
lots on Front (now Fourth Street) and Pearl (now Fifth Street) from present South E Street to Main Street.
Although Cox shied away from promoting the town, he nevertheless sold small parcels of land and lots to
settlers. Among the sales was one to his brother-in-law, Robert Morrisson, who acquired the northwest
corner of Main and Ft. Wayne Avenue. Convinced, finally, that a town would inevitable be organized on
the eastern bluff of the Whitewater River, Cox joined Smith in 1818 in the town project.
Richmond Named and Incorporated
In the meantime, Smith had named his settlement Smithville. So Cox, using part of his name, Jeremiah,
had called his collection of houses Jericho. Both towns settled East of the river so there was no need to
build a bridge. Settlers did not like either name so they accepted Richmond, suggested by David Hoover,
as a compromise.
On September 1, 1818, the twenty-four qualified voters of the settlement met in a house on the northeast
corner of Main and Ft. Wayne Avenue and voted to incorporate the town.
Better Transportation Routes Encourage Growth
In the summer of 1807 they build a road to Eaton, Ohio to give them a direct connection with the "Wayne
Trace," the old military road built by General (Mad) Anthony Wayne from Fort Washington (Cincinnati) to
Greenville in his Indiana campaigns. Elkhorn settlers built a road between Elkhorn and Salisbury, the
county seat. The only two roads entering Indianapolis in 1826 were the one from Madison, the other from
Centerville. In 1817 settlers, living north of town, cut the "Quaker Trace" to Fort Wayne to give them a
trade outlet there.
The first store was opened by John Smith in a buckeye log cabin near his home on South Second and B
Streets. His goods were transported to the store on pack horses. Later, wagoners made the trip from
Cincinnati to Richmond in six to ten days over roads that were almost impassable. Within twenty years
after the arrival of the first settlers on the site of Richmond, various trades and forms of business and
industry were well established. It was no longer necessary for settlers to travel long distances to obtain
the essentials and necessities of life.
Richmond's growing pains started after Indians stopped their petty raids. From 1815 on, the eastern
Indiana frontier began to bustle. Richmond's sustained growth as a trading center permitted it to out
distance other southeastern Indiana towns like Madison, Lawrenceburg, Rising Sun, Vevay, Brookville and
others.
Iron works began to make steel plows. Gaar, Scott & Co. became the nation's largest producer of boilers
and steam engines. Starr Piano became the respected maker of musical instruments. Gennett Recording
attracted top musicians to its sound studios.
The "mix" between farm activity and factory production led Richmond into a leadership role in East Central
Indiana.
First Post Office Established
The first post office in Richmond was established in 1818 with Robert Morrisson appointed as postmaster.
In 1829 when he was succeeded by Daniel Reid. Mails arrived every two weeks, provided the carrier was
not delayed by rain or snow.
The post office was opened in a frame building at the corner of Main and Front (4th St.) and later moved
to the northwest corner of Main and Pearl (5th St.). For many years the post office was situated at the
southwest corner of North 9th and A streets, but early in the 1970's a new post office was built at the
corner of North 5th and A Streets. The first free delivery of mail was established in Richmond on January
1, 1881 and rural route delivery began in 1897.
National Road Surveyed
The National Road, now U.S. 40, was surveyed to Richmond in 1827. A covered bridge across the
Whitewater River at the foot of Main Street was completed in 1836. Other means of transportation were
explored with the Whitewater Canal.
Second Oldest Newspaper in the State
The first issue of the Richmond Palladium was printed January 1, 1831, and therewith became the founder
of a journalistic enterprise that 150 years later had the unusual distinction of being the second oldest
newspaper in Indiana from the standpoint of continuous publication. In 1907 it acquired the SunTelegram and consolidated it with the Palladium. Many years later it also acquired the Richmond-Item
and now carries the name of the Palladium-Item.
Two other weekly newspapers were started before 1831. They were the Richmond Weekly Intelligencer
(1821-1824) and the Public Ledger (1824-1828). Another newspaper started before 1850 was the
Jeffersonian (1836-1864). Before the Palladium became a daily, several other newspapers were started.
These included the Daily Independent (1873-1879), the Daily Free Press (1874-1879), and the Laurel
Wreath (1875-1878). None of these are in existence today except for the Palladium-Item.
Bank Established
The first bank in Richmond was a branch of the State Bank of Indiana which opened in December of 1834
on the northeast corner of Main and Pearl (5th Street) and was in operation until 1865. The First National
Bank was established in 1863 and is the oldest national bank in the state of Indiana and the sixth oldest
national bank in the United States.
Library Founded
Morrisson-Reeves Library was founded by Robert Morrisson, who came from North Carolina to Wayne
County in 1810. Mr. Morrisson's name is intimately associated with the history of Richmond and, being
one its earliest merchants, he accumulated a large estate. The crowning act of his life was the founding of
the library in July 30, 1864 at a cost of $20,000 which he transferred as a gift to Wayne township. The
old building, having outlived its usefulness, was torn down in the summer of 1975 and a new library
erected just south of the old location on North Sixth and A Streets.
Education Considered Important
Earlham College, which has an enrollment of about 1,200 is known as a liberal arts school. It was
founded by the Society of Friends in 1847. Many of its graduates have attained fame as scientists and
educators. Among these is Wendell Stanley, a famed scientist. A science building on campus bears his
name.
Indiana University East is the outgrowth of a cooperative venture involving Earlham College, Indiana
University, and private citizens in Wayne County. The school originally was established in 1946 at
Earlham College, through a cooperative arrangement, to provide credit and non-credit courses in the
area. It was called the Earlham College-Indiana University Extension Center until 1967 when Purdue
University and Ball State University joined the venture.
Due to the Center's growing enrollment through the years, Richmond citizens in 1969 formed the Eastern
Indiana Community College to raise funds toward the cost of a new site and construction of a campus in
Richmond. Ground was broken for the new home in October 1972 on 230 acres near the intersection of
U.S. 27 and Interstate 70 on the north side of Richmond. The first building was completed late in the fall
of 1974 and occupied in January 1975.
As enrollment gains, Indiana University East offers advanced academic and vocational opportunities and a
wide rage of economic and cultural advantages to students of the surrounding area. A $1 million Indiana
Vocational Technical College (Ivy Tech Community College) opened in 1976 as a facility to train office,
hospital and factory workers. The addition of Earlham School of Religion and Bethany Theological
Seminary makes Richmond "The City of Colleges".
Transportation
In addition to the National Road being a main artery through Wayne County; Richmond also became a hub
for many railroads. The first locomotive entered Richmond in March 1853. A railroad was established to
New Castle in 1854 which eventually led to Chicago. The railroad to Winchester was started in 1870 and
two years later it was extended to fort Wayne. Interurban lines passed through Richmond between
Dayton, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana in the early 1900's but were discontinued in the 1940's.
Construction of an airport south of the city marked the last step in the evolution of the transportation
system.
Richmond Becomes the "Rose City"
Richmond's floral industry began in 1881 when E.G. Hill and his father, Joseph, began a general floral
catalogue business on the south side of East Main Street, between 20th and 21st Streets. In 1887,
following the death of their father, E. G. Hill and his sister Sarah Hill moved the business to the edge of
what is now Glen Miller Park.
The greenhouses in Richmond had nearly 34 acres under glass. All featured production of roses, followed
by mums, orchids, and other flowers. Hills' Floral Group continues as the recognized leader in the floral
industry; hybridizing, growing, distributing, importing, and wholesaling flowers and floral products
throughout the United States.
Research and development is continuing through intricate processes at Hill Floral Group. The odds are
about 2,000,000 to 1 against developing a rose superior to one already grown today. More than $100,000
annually are budgeted for research and development. Recently introduced varieties include, Classy, a
long lived large, romantic red and Ginger Hill, a delicate yet robust and braggart blush white. The
Richmond Rose Festival honored the rose industry and was a popular summer attraction.
Glen Miller Park NOT Named for Band Leader
Glen Miller Park, the largest of several parks in the Richmond Park and Recreation system, has 194 acres
of beautiful wooded area. It has fresh spring water flowing from several different locations in the park
and wild flowers growing abundantly. This land was purchased by the City of Richmond in 1885 at the,
then so fabulous, price of $35,000.00. Colonel John Miller was the owner and from his name plus the
natural topography of the area came the name, Glen Miller. This park has a 9 hole golf course available to
the general public, tennis courts, horseshoe courts, a bandstand and open air theater, several shelter
houses and over 600 picnic tables and numerous grills throughout the park.
A small lake is located in the center of the park and once a year it is stocked and a children's fishing rodeo
is held. At the 22nd Street entrance to the park stands a tall statue of the Madonna of the Trail, which is
one of several along the old National Road (U.S. 40). It was erected by the National Society of Daughters
of the American Revolution (DAR) as a memorial to pioneer mothers of the covered wagon days. It
carries the inscription, "A nation's highway once a wilderness trail over which hardy pioneers made their
perilous way seeking new homes in the dense forests of the great northwest." The first toll gate in
Indiana stood near this site on the National Road.
The newest of our parks is Middlefork Reservoir, which encompasses a 177-acre lake where fishing and
boating are popular in season. The lake is constructed so a second stage can be created by adding flood
gates to increase the acreage of the water to 271 acres. The Richmond Sailing Club has races here.
Hospital Established
Land for the site of Reid Memorial Hospital was purchased by Daniel G. Reid from John F. Miller and
located just north of the city in the suburb of Spring Grove. After Mr. Miller sold the land to the City for
Glen Miller Park, he purchased the ground in Spring Grove and established his home there. This home
later became the site for Reid Memorial Hospital. The cornerstone was laid in 1904. The hospital was a
gift to the area from Daniel G. Reid and was built as a memorial to his wife and son. The first unit was
dedicated July 27, 1905. During the years there have been several changes and additions, the last of
which was an expansion done at a cost of approximately $15 1/2 million, including an eight story tower
which was named Leeds Tower and dedicated in 1975. Major benefactors were Walter E. Wallace and
Rudolph and Florence Leeds.
Arboretum Preserves Natural History
Hayes Arboretum was started by Stanley W. Hayes and was a 30-acre area of forest just east of the city
of Richmond when he acquired it. No timber cutting or grazing had been permitted in the half-century
previous to the purchase in 1917. The enormous beech trees, which are now between 200 and 250 years
old, have been undisturbed for the past century. As Mr. Hayes wished to preserve the Arboretum for
scientific study and public enjoyment, he created the non-profit Hayes Research Foundation before his
death in 1963 and it is now used for educational, scientific, recreational and community participation.
The Arboretum Garden was started about 1933 by Mr. Hayes with the help of a state forester and noted
botanist. It has 147 species of trees and shrubs native to this region of Wayne and surrounding counties.
Because it displays only species that grow in this area, the Hayes Arboretum is called a regional
Arboretum. In the southeast corner is an eight acre tract containing species which made up what was
once known as the greatest hardwood forest in the nation. A 130 year old former dairy barn has been
made into a center for educational activities. The horse stalls have become classrooms, the calf pen a
nature library and the hay loft a display area. Nature trails have been provided for walks deep into the
woodland and 3 1/2 mile auto tour route displays 50 different trees, each identified by name tag.
The Arboretum is on land that has been covered by glaciers a number of times during the last several
hundreds of thousands of years. Geologic evidence suggests strongly that the last of these glaciers
advanced from a northerly direction about 30,000 years ago and melted away from the Richmond area
15,000 years ago, more or less.
Pioneer Heritage Preserved
The Wayne County Historical Museum is operated for the benefit of the people by the Wayne county,
Indiana Historical Society, a non-profit educational organization. It was opened in the historic Hicksite
Friends Meeting House on North A Street, August 16, 1929. The Meeting House, built in 1864 along the
simple lines of a Quaker place of worship, was given to the Historical Society by the Whitewater Monthly
Meeting of Friends, "in memory of those whose lives so worthily exemplified the principles of the Society
of Friends." The Historical Society purchased the real estate from the Monthly Meeting in 1930.
Among the attractions are the Solomon Dickerson log house, built in 1823, which was moved from Fort
Wayne Avenue as a community project to the Museum grounds in 1967. Also on the grounds are a
recreated bakery and an early newspaper office. The Museum houses many of the cars produced in the
area, along with an airplane. The main focus of the collection is Wayne County's pioneer heritage.
The Wayne County Historical Museum is also known as the Julia Meek Gaar Museum since it was largely
through her efforts and donated collections from her around-the-world travels that it was established.
Among the more eclectic items included in her collections are a Samurai warrior's uniform and one of
Wayne County's two Egyptian mummies (the second can be found at the Joseph Moore Museum on the
Earlham Campus). The Wayne County Historical Museum is regarded by many as one of the outstanding
local museums of the country.
The City Rebuilds
On April 6, 1968, a disastrous explosion and fire occurred in the downtown area of Richmond. Several
blocks of downtown were destroyed or damaged. Forty-one persons were killed and more than onehundred fifty injured. The explosion propelled the redevelopment of the downtown, with a four-block
mall as a center of attraction. The Downtown Promenade was dedicated in 1972 and national landscapers
singled it out for an award. A fifth block was added in 1978. In 2008, on the 40th anniversary, a film
documentary was released. It is called 1:47 - the time of the explosion.
In the early 1990's a re-evaluation of the needs of local citizens and vendors downtown was taken under
consideration. The desire for more parking and easier access to merchants in the middle of the blocks
caused the city to reopen the street to traffic in 1997. The Uptown Project kept a landscaped feel to the
area and used Starr bricks - manufactured in Richmond - as an accent.
Today....and Tomorrow
Today Richmond is a city of approximately 40,000 and is often referred to as the Eastern Gateway to
Indiana. It's location on the border of Indiana and Ohio puts it within easy driving distance of Dayton,
Ohio (45 minutes) and Indianapolis, Indiana (60 minutes), in addition to being able to take advantage of
the cultural offerings of Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, and Chicago - all within a 5 hour drive or less.
It has a varied industrial background, an active Economic Development Corporation, and shovel-ready
land in local Industrial Parks. It's location near Interstate 70, between Interstate 75 and Interstate 65
continue to offer businesses the advantages of location that the Wayne County settlers enjoyed.
Richmond serves as the retail center for several counties, offering everything from upscale department
stores, to national chains, to unique one-of-a -kind boutiques. It is the center of the antique mecca
known as Antique Alley.
Education of its children is up most on the minds of the citizens, who have access to excellent public and
private schools, in addition to many institutions of higher education.
The future for the Richmond/Wayne County area looks very bright indeed!
Wayne County Historical Areas
1. Whitewater Canal- Cambridge City
2. The Mansion House - an 1840's tavern - now housing collections of early American
and Victorian antiques, and serving as headquarters of Historic Centerville, Inc.
3. The Levi Coffin House - "Grand Central Station, of the Underground Railroad", has
long been recognized as a Registered National Historic Landmark
4. The upper terminal of the Whitewater Canal to Cincinnati in the 1840's- Hagerstown
Pre-field trip picture sheetAreas to be covered on this field trip: Third Grade
List all your students below the field trip area where they would like to have their picture taken as a
remembrance of this field trip:
1. Richmond Baking Company Display
2. Palladium-Item Printing Office
3. Timeline of Development of Indiana and Richmond (basement)
4. Davis Airplane
5. Old Time Main Street
6. Roberts School House