Toyota Plant and New Harmony

September, 2014.  We were still headed south.  These are some of the stops along the way.  Although we stopped for a few hours in Evansville, IN, I can find no pictures.  

Before arriving at Evansville, we saw signs about a Toyota Plant.  I went online and signed up for a tour.  This plant now only makes Highlanders, including the hybrid.

Did you know Toyota started as a small, family loom business in 1896.

An expanded Toyota Tundra, which was made here until they started producing all trucks in Texas.

Our next stop was Evansville.  We spent several hours along the waterfront.Then it was on to New Harmony, where we stayed overnight at the state park.  

Originally settled in 1814 by the Harmony Society, a group mostly made up of German Lutherans and led by George Rapp.  They sold the property in 1824 and moved back to Pennsylvania.  Although the communal society flourished with steam powered carding and spinning factory, a brewery, distillery and winery, a power driven thresher and a town which had a school, church, store and dwellings for the inhabitants, they started looking for a new place to move by 1824, just 10 years later.  It was said by visitors that it looked much like everyone worked very hard and lived a course life in mostly log cabins, while the Rapp family lived a finer life in a large brick home.

The Owen house, circa 1830.  Robert Owen bought New Harmony from George Rapp and the Harmonists in 1825.

Not a part of either of the communal attempts, the Opera House was built in 1888.

Early attempts at communal living.  It never seems to work.

Brewery back in the 1800s

The brewery.

As a communal environment, the Harmonists had few individual homes.  These dormatory style buildings were called Community House No. 2., built around 1822, just 2 years prior to them leaving and returning to Pennsylvania.

 The West Long Street cabins is where most people lived from 1814-1819.

The Lenz House, circa 1819-1822.

This grainery was built by the Harmonists in 1818.  It has been many things since and remodeled several times, but is now the home of the Rapp Grainery-Owen Foundation.

The backside of the grainery.  

The town currently has a population of about 800, which most of the buildings part of the historical district.

Vincennes IN

Sep 2014.  For such a small town, population about 18,000, this place had more historical buildings and sites than most places much larger.  There was so much history to this place, it was fascinating.  Vincennes was founded in 1832 by French fur traders and is considered the oldest continuously inhabited city in Indiana, and one of the oldest west of the Appalachians.

There is a city park with water and dump available.  I even believe they had electric.  There was supposed to be a camp host come around to collect fees from us, but we were there almost a week and never saw a soul.  The campground is on the banks of the Lower Wabash River.

There were 3 forts built in the area to protect the frontier region between 1787 and 1816.  

At the site of Fort Knox II, William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor, both who later became presidents, and the Indian Chief Tecumseh were at this fort.

Sugar Loaf Mound reminds us we were not the first peoples here.  The late Woodland Indians, 600-1000 A.D.,  were here long before.

Vincennes University is the oldest college in Indiana and the Northwest Territories.  It was founded as Jefferson College in 1801.

The Old French House was built in 1808 and occupied by the fur trader Michael Broullet.

Dedicated in 2009, this statue honors Chief Tecumseh, leader of the Shawnee.

This has to be the largest watermelon I've ever seen.

This was the primary reason we stopped at Vincennes, not knowing how much more there was to see in the area.

Lewis and Clark even have a claim to this place..

Grouseland, home of William Henry Harrison during his term as Indiana Territorial Governor, 1803-1812.  Later, William Henry Harrison became the 9th president of the U.S.

Just an old mill, no longer in use.

State Bank of Indiana, first bank of Indiana opened in 1814.

The Lincoln Memorial Bridge opened in 1933.

The bridge is supposed to mark the spot where Lincoln, along with his father, crossed the river headed to Illinois in 1830.

The Old Cathedral Library is the oldest in Indiana and has manuscripts dating back to the 1300s.

The 'current' Old Cathedral, Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, was built in 1826 and sits on the site of three previous churches.

George Rogers Clark National Historic Park commemorates the conquest of the Northwest Territory.  It was at this site where Colonel George Rogers Clark captured the British Fort Sackville.

Red Bank Trace runs along the Ohio to Nashville and connects to the Natchez Trace.

Remember Clem Kadiddlehopper?

Red Skelton was born in Vincennes in this house.  Much of his stuff was donated to the Vincennes University where they now have a Red Skelton Museum.  

Springfield, IL

Sep 2014.  We spent almost a week in Springfield.  Although I had been there before and visited the Lincoln Presidential Library (which we visited again), we had time to explore much, much more.  And we got to visit with friends, Tom Gardner and Rosemary Lenaghan.

Rosemary took us to the famous Scheel's store.  It is so large it even has a full size ferris wheel inside.  They claim to be the largest sporting goods store under one roof in Illinois.  They also had a 16,000 gallon salt water aquarium and 8 life size bronze statues of famous people, plus all their sporting goods stuff for sale.  Definitely a place to visit if you are ever in Springfield.

We also like to visit unique one of a kind places, such as Cozy Dog Drive.  A popular stopping place along Rt. 66, it also claims to be the first ones to serve corn dogs.  (There are other claims too, but we liked this story)  Ed Wardmire Jr and his friend Don Strand claim they created the idea of a deep fried battered weiner while in the army in 1945.  When Ed came home in 1946, he perfected his idea and started selling them at the Illinois State Fair and later in the year opened the first Cozy Dog.

They moved to this location along Rt. 66 in 1966.  The place is filled with Rt. 66 memorabilia as well as the history of the cozy dog.

Another one of a kind place was Mel-O-Cream.  The business started in 1932 as a retail donut shop, but by the 1940s and 1950s had expanded to selling wholesale to grocery stores and restaurants.  In 1964 they started franchising and by 1980 there were 14 franchises.  But shortly thereafter, they changed to a primarily wholesale company, creating a frozen donut product for their franchises and the whosesale market.  Today, they are almost exclusively wholesale and sell throughout the midwest, including 11 other states in addition to Illinois.

You can't visit Springfield without a stop at the Lincoln Presidential Library.

Union Station was opened in 1898 and operated until 1971.  In 1985 it was bought and restored by the Sculley family for retail until the State of Illinois purchased the building in 1999.  It now houses the visitor center and a museum,

Lincoln mural on the side of a downtown building.

Old State Capitol, used from 1839 to 1876.  This was the operating capitol during the time of Lincoln.

The Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon, dedicated in 1962.

Lincoln's Tomb

Dana-Thomas House, built in 1902 by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The home was built for the wealthy widow, Susan Lawrence Dana.  It was purchased in 1944 by Charles C. Thomas, who maintained the furnishing and style as built by Frank Lloyd Wright.  It was purchased by the State of Illinois in 1981 and is now open to the public for tours and special events.  This was one of his earlier, larger projects.  If you are in the area, go take the tour.

Parts of the Wabash and Interurban bike trails are also on historic Rt. 66.

The Interurban Trail is 8.3 miles one way to Chatham. 

One evening we went with Tom Gardner to The Muru, an outdoor play venue.

They have some seats, but many people bring their own lawn chairs.

We watched a traveling Broadway version of Jekyll & Hyde.

Although we probably did not get to see and do everything there was to do here, it's time to move down the road.