Traders Point, Indiana

Tree Trimming Update from Jerry Baker

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:34:00 +0000

To all members of the Regulatory Flexibility Committee, and other
interested parties:
Thank you to all of the Committee members for taking the time to give
consideration to the matter of tree trimming practices by electric
utilities in the state.
Reflecting on the meeting of Thu. Oct 19th, virtually the only
position taken by utility representatives was a defense of the fact
that they have to trim trees back to protect electric lines. All of us who came to raise concerns about the matter understand and
accept that fact. What we wanted to bring attention to is: how they
do it ( Are they adhering to set standards ? ),
where they do it ( Do they really have the right? ), how much they
remove (is it really necessary?), how they behave when while doing
it, and the fact that we have no place to take
cases of damages to our property for judgement or compensation.
After listening to all the utility speakers that day, It seems likely
that most of our concerns will be found in urban settings, and
probably all of us who spoke are customers of IPL.
It was of great interest to me that no basic concern raised by us was
refuted during the afternoon session.
Please,we all hope you will continue to consider our positions and
complaints. Correcting improper treatment of private property, and
it's owners really is the "greater good".
Following are several photos of tree removal from inside the ROW in
my area, a possibly outdated IPL cutting chart -- It can only get
worse --and, keep in mind that in 2005 we were told
that the removal inside the ROW would be all the way to the ground --
and the text of my comments from the meeting.
Thank all of you again...
Respectfully
Jerry Baker

Creamery event benefits Historic Traders Point!

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Sunday, October 26th, 2008 from 12 to 6 pm Traders Point Creamery will be hosting Oktoberfest once again. This is truly the most fabulous, fun-filled day on the farm!
Enjoy the Live Music of PolkaBoy's 13-piece Power Band, Hayrides, Bonfires, Cow Milking, Pumpkin Patch, Face Painting, Games, Pet the Baby Calves and more. You may also sample our Award-winning Organic Dairy Products that are made right on the farm!

Traditional German Food, Beer, and Wine available for purchase, as well as Traders Point Creamery Ice Cream, Delicious Cheeses, Baked Goods, Hot Chocolate, and more! Drink local beer and enjoy Upland Brewing Co., of Bloomington, Indiana---it is delicious!
Oktoberfest is a fundraiser to protect over 7,000 acres of remaining greenspace in Traders Point Rural Historic Districts and surrounding areas.
Tickets are $8 in Advance online and $10 at the Gate. Children under 10 years free. http://www.tpforganics.com/content/view/73/200/

News Flash RE : Tree Trimming

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:37:00 +0000

News Flash – Urgent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Public Hearing: Tree Trimming Practices by Utilities

On October 9, 2008 at 10:00am in the House Chambers on the third floor of the Statehouse, a joint committee consisting of eleven (11) members of the Indiana Senate and twelve (12) members of the House of Representative will hold a public hearing on Tree Trimming Practices by Utilities.

Hundreds of property owners have been victims of over-zealous and abusive tree trimming practices. Proposed Legislation to address these issues will be considered. Under regulations passed by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC), utilities have the authority to go onto private property at any time they choose to trim trees near electric lines in any manner they choose without any consent of the property owner and over any objections of the property owner.

The IURC and the utilities choose to override the rights of all property owners in an effort to cut outages and expenses. Millions of dollars in damages statewide have already occurred. The IURC, the electric utility association and the individual utilities have chosen not to notify property owners about this public hearing and are fighting to prevent any changes in the law which would restore the rights of the property owners over the type of cutting/trimming practices and the utilities ability to trim trees on private property during routine maintenance without the property owner’s consent.

My name is Charles H. Goodman, and I am a 68 year old senior citizen and a victim of the lies and deceptions committed by the Indianapolis Power and Light Company. Along with hundreds of other homeowners statewide, I realized something needed to be done. Unlike the utilities, I do not have the money to take out ads to alert the public to this critical public hearing. I am, however, pleading with you for your help to publicize this meeting so all homeowners statewide can have the opportunity to respond either in person, by letter, e-mail and/or phone. Few property owners actually realize they have “no” say even when it comes to their own property and the trimming of their trees to ensure electric line safety. This will change but only if we all speak out. Can you, will you help?

NOTE: This is not an effort to stop all trimming, rather to restore some common sense and preserve the natural appearance of all trees. In defense of the utilities, trees planted underneath electric lines should be replaced with low growing trees or bushes. As you can see compromise is the goal, and without a very strong public response, property owners’ rights will not be restored. This a David vs. Goliath fight.

Can’t come? - Write, e-mail and/or call your State Senator, State Representative and all Committee members.

Send copies of written responses to:

Charles H. Goodman
2313 N. Graham
Indianapolis, IN 46218
Phone: (317) 356-2499
Cell: (765) 228-1137

These will then be given to each committee members.

The Regulatory Flexibility Committee consists of:
Sen. Brandt Hershman, Co-Chairperson(Senate) – S7@in.gov
Rep. Dave Crooks, Co-Chairperson (House) – H63@in.gov
Sen. Beverly Gard – S28@in.gov
Rep. Chester Dobis - H13@in.gov
Rep. Dan Stevenson – H11@in.gov
Rep. David Frizzell - H93@in.gov
Sen. Dennis Kruse – S14@in.gov
Sen. Edward Charbonneau – S5@in.gov
Rep. Edward Soliday – H4@in.gov
Rep. Jack Lutz – H35@in.gov
Sen. James Merritt, Jr – S31@in.gov
Sen. Jean Breaux – S34@in.gov
Sen. Karen Tallian – S4@in.gov
Rep. Kreg Battles – H64@in.gov
Rep. Robert Behning – H91@in.gov
Rep. Ryan Dvorak – H8@in.gov
Sen. Ryan Mishler – S9@in.gov
Rep. Sandra Blanton – H62@in.gov
Sen. Sue Errington – S26@in.gov
Sen. Sue Landske – S6@in.gov
Rep. Timothy Neese – H48@in.gov

Traders Point Creamery to double sales in 12 months?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:23:00 +0000

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Traders Point hires former Ben & Jerry's exec

Norm Heikens - nheikens@ibj.com

IBJ staff

Zionsville-based Traders Point Creamery has named a former Ben & Jerry's executive as president.Charles "Chuck" M. Green said he plans to double sales to more than $5 million within the next 12 months, possibly by forming a cooperative with farmers to supply milk from grass-fed cows. Traders Point produces organic cheese, milk, yogurt, ice cream and beef.Traders Point plans to start small by adding Indiana farmers. It then might expand the concept to the East and West coasts."We're going to grow this business in the model we're in," Green said. "The idea is to influence farms that this is a great thing to do."Green was general manager of Ben & Jerry's Boston sales territory, the largest for the famed Vermont ice cream maker, before it was acquired by Dutch conglomerate Unilever in 2000. At Unilever, Green was senior vice president of strategy for all North American ice cream.

Tree Cutting Article in Star today

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:45:00 +0000

September 11, 2008
Neighbors question planned tree trimming Traders Point area worried; IPL, state say utility has the right to cut on private propertyBy Robert Annis robert.annis@indystar.com
Mary Ann Stevens and her neighbors may have received a temporary reprieve from the moment they've been dreading for three years.
For several months, Indianapolis Power & Light Co. told Traders Point residents of an upcoming tree trimming and cutting, but that has been pushed back, likely until next year, because of internal scheduling issues. Residents have questioned the trimming or removal of trees in a 2-mile swath from Lafayette Road to I-465 along 86th Street.
"IPL isn't accustomed to being questioned," Stevens said. "It's a protected monopoly, used to getting its way."
IPL routinely trims trees to keep branches from getting entangled in the power lines. The utility estimates it controls 25 feet around each pole, letting it trim back or cut down any high-growing trees, even if they aren't close to the wires, said IPL spokeswoman Crystal Livers-Powers.
"Tree trimming is an emotional subject for many people," she said. "It's not something we like to do, but we have an obligation to provide power to our customers and keep people safe. When we're doing this type of work, we can't always provide a solution that feels good to both parties."
A trained arborist supervises the work, Livers-Powers said, and homeowners can set up an appointment to discuss the trimming beforehand. The utility listens to complaints, she said, as does the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
IPL has trimmed trees near power lines since Traders Point resident Jerry Baker bought his home in 1981. He said IPL began getting more aggressive in 2005, when IPL contractors marked more than 1,000 trees around power lines to be cut down.
Neighbors negotiated with the electric utility for eight months in 2005 trying to find a compromise when IPL ended talks and began cutting the next day. Shocked neighbors watched as IPL contractors butchered trees, Baker said, and "behaved badly when doing it."
At least one resident, a 64-year-old, was handcuffed and detained by police after she was accused of either shoving or poking an IPL worker in the chest. She was released after about an hour.
The poles often stand so close to the property line that 138,000-volt lines hover above private property, neighbors claim. Because of the lines' location, IPL has trimmed or cut down trees on private property. Neighbors claim IPL shouldn't be allowed to do this without an agreed-upon easement, but IPL has refused to negotiate that point.
"It's a fine line," Baker said. "They think they can do whatever they want just because it's for the public good, but we have our property rights."
The IURC gives utilities the authority to cut trees on private property if needed, Livers-Powers said. IURC spokeswoman Danielle Dravet agreed. "Utilities can go on private property to do trimming, just like they can for meter readings."

Traders Point Sign Safe and Sound

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:54:00 +0000

In many respects this weblog is dedicated to sharing snippets of historic Traders Point that have been lost to time. Some of the stuff of history is passed down through spoken and written records and in the case of Traders Point, most evidence resides only in the memories of people who lived there. But a small amount of physical evidence remains. Yesterday, during a visit to a neighbor's office, I saw one of the original highway signs for the town. This sign was probably removed from Lafayette Road in the 1960s, maybe later.

There would have been two of these. One sign was located north of the Eagle Creek bridge on the eastside of Lafayette Road (referred to as Highway 52). The sign for southbound traffic would have been located on the westside of Lafayette Road near Wilson Road. I will ask him where and how he came to acquire this sign. The two signs were only a few hundred feet apart. Not sure what happened to the other sign but it's nice to know one of these is still in the area.

Northwestsiders, IPL to battle over trees

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:52:00 +0000

A group of Traders Point residents are preparing to battle Indianapolis Power and Light over what they see as a violation of their property rights.

Mary Ann Stevens and Jerry Baker are two of the neighbors living near 86th Street and Moore Road who say they've been notified by IPL that the utility company intends to cut down or prune back trees that are growing within approximately 50 feet of its power lines sometime before the end of the year. Both say while the poles are in the agreed-upon right-of-way, the threatened trees are on their private property and shouldn't be cut without their permission.
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Stevens estimated a large swath of trees along 86th Street from Lafayette Road to I-465 could be affected.

Neighbors say they faced a similar situation with IPL in 2005 that not only left them with fewer trees, but also feeling threatened and bullied by the utility's emplyees.

When contacted late Thursday afternoon, IPL spokesperson Crystal Livers-Powers said she wasn't aware of any specific tree-trimming plans for the Traders Point area.
Call Star reporter Robert Annis at (317) 444-5572.

Fog this morning over the fields on Moore Road

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Could it be a different William Conner?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:36:00 +0000

Several years ago, when I first made the connection between Traders Point and William Conner, I sent an email to Conner Prairie's Historian, Timothy Crumrin, to share my findings. I was disappointed but not entirely surprised when he dismissed my William Conner as being different than his William Conner.
(I assume you wish me to be frank. I well know the thrill of the initial burst of excitement of getting your teeth into research on a subject like this and that this dicovery may be a boon to your hopes for getting landmark status, but I caution you from overplaying too much at the outset. Let further research reveal the proper balance and things will work out in the end. Be careful of loaded and agrandizing terms like "land baron" and be careful not to overstate the importance of William Cnner. As I tell people during training sessions here, there was a William Conner in every county in Indiana and other states of the Midwest and if not for Lilly buying and preserving this land Old Bill woud be little more than a footnote in a local history. That is not to say that he did not live an interesting and often thrilling life, only that he was no Washington, Jefferson, or Clark. It is best to use him much as you did as exemplar of others like him.
I trust you are not offended by the above, It is not meant as a criticism. Instead I am speaking to you as I would another historian/colleage, merely offering you my professional comments.)

Having spent a couple of years of my life working at Conner Prairie, I understood the dismissal. I had circumstantial evidence but no primary source linking the two to be one in the same. Conner did not maintain a journal or a diary. Much of his life, while remarkable, was not memorialized by him or others at the time. So there is no written record that he had invested in land in Marion County, other than the land patent issued to a William Conner of Marion County in 1823. That in and of itself is not sufficient to prove that it was the same person. So for me to convince others more scholarly than myself, we have to understand the circumstances of his life, of the times and his other land patents to feel comfortable that it is the same person. We have to see a preponderence of circumstantial evidence that it must be the same person.

In order to support the theory that it is not the same person, we would prefer to find some evidence that a different William Conner lived at the same time in central Indiana. There is none. We know that Conner sold the Traders Point patent before it was improved. In fact it was nearly 30 years later before the improvement of the grist mill would be erected at the north end of the parcel. Most parcels being patented at the time were for settlement. Owing to its access to water and tillable land, the Eagle Creek valley of Pike Township was the earliest area to attract settlers. We have a public record that the subject parcel was rated second rate, unsuitable for farming, by the government surveyor who scouted land for the Indiana Territory for the federal government. Conner would have had access to this report prior to his purchase. A farmer or a settler would have no reason to buy such a parcel, especially at a time when ALL THE OTHER TILLABLE PARCELS IN THE TOWNSHIP WERE AVAILABLE! The Traders Point parcel was without doubt purchased by a speculator. Hamilton County's William Conner can certainly be viewed as a speculator based upon what we know about his many land patents in and outside of Hamilton County. The 1823 time period of the patent also support the theory that it is the same person. By 1823 Conner had separated from his Indian wife, Mekinges, when she and their mixed children, all considered native Americans, were forced to relocate to Oklahoma. Earlier in 1823 Conner had perfected title to a land parcel on White River in Hamilton County where he was operating a Trading Post. Originally Conner had been sent to this area as a Canadian fur trader. His familiarity with native customs and languages served him well and later he was a treaty negotiator with multiple tribes. There is evidence that a settlement of Miami Indians existed at the time near Conner's Traders Point patent. (An article published by an Indianapolis newspaper has a wonderful first person account supporting this. In 1885 Anna Wilson was interviewed. Then 80 years old, her grandson Ad Wilson lived west of the Conner patent, south of Wilson Road in an area now within the Eagle Creek Park. "I was very much afraid of the Indians, for there was a small settlement in our neighborhood. The men and squaws would frequently come in our door with articles for sale, but they gave us no trouble. Sometimes however the braves would have sham battles along the creek, and we could hear their yells for miles. Mrs. Wilson came to the area in 1825. And we know from another published account that Albert Hardin, who farmed the J.K. Lilly dairy near Wilson Road and Dandy Trail, learned from his grandfather that white men and Indians traded livestock on Eagle Creek at its bend, thus the name Traders Point. And we know that William Conner was in the site selection meetings years earlier in which Indianapolis was chosen as the location for the new state capitol. We do not know the level of influence that Conner had in these discussions but for him to have been in the room says something about his importance. I have not found records of others named Conner acquiring land in the vicinity until much later in the century. I am familiar with several of the pioneer era cemeteries in the Traders Point area and there are no William Conners buried in them, (in fact, I am not aware of anyone named Conner in the area cemeteries for this time period). For there to be a different William Conner in Traders Point we must believe that there were others named William Conner in 1823 in central Indiana acquiring land for speculative purposes, in an area known to be populated with Indians, at a strategic crossing of a heavily traveled route and a navigable waterway, with no interest in establishing a home on the site. Highly unlikely. And we know William Conner was involved in many disparate activities simultaneously. 1823 is also the year credited with the completion of his Hamilton County residence, the first brick home in Hamilton County, on display daily at Conner Prairie. And this coincidental observation about Conner: The first person to embark in the Indian trade in this county was William CONNER. His store was four miles below Noblesville. Prior to the incoming of white settlers, his trade was exclusively with the Indians, who were reported to have had great confidence in his integrity and in the accuracy of his judgment. It is related of him "that when the Indians came in to trade, they were paid in part for their furs in whisky. They were required by Mr. CONNER to pay for each article as it was sold. One gallon of whisky would be measured out to them and then paid for, and then another; and so on until the furs were all taken up." He had long resided with the Shawanoes, and was also very familiar with the manners, customs and usages of both tribes, and with the White Water, White River and Wabash tribes generally.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Conner

Not a bad view

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:18:00 +0000

View of the neighbor's place from my mail box in Traders Point, Indiana (taken today)

Traders Point Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:57:00 +0000

In the fall of 1930, Thomas Ruckelshaus and Russsel Fortune Jr. Organized a series of chases on horseback, eventually leading to discussion of organizing a drag hunt on horseback. TPH met informally for the first time at the red barn on Moore Rd on November 14, 1931 with Mr. George Bailey as Master of Fox Hounds, Huntsman Russel Fortune Jr., and Whippers-in Nate Davis and Wells Hampton. Riders in the field number 16 of Indianapolis’ most prominent citizens. The territory at that time was the hills and valleys along Eagle Creek from 56th to 96th in the area that is currently northwest Indianapolis and Zionsville. source: http://www.traderspointhunt.com/

Conner's Patent is remarkable today for many reasons

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:08:00 +0000

We've outlined in red the location of Conner's patent over a recent Google Earth aerial photo of the area. Although we have no evidence that William Conner had a trading post within the site, we do know that he never lived here. But it is instructive to understand some of what occurred in or near the 80 acre parcel following Conner's ownership.
1. 1864: Traders Point is laid out by John Jennings and Josiah Coughran who erected a flour mill on this site. In 1897 the mill was deeded to the Traders Point Church of Christ when they broke away from Ebenezer Christian Church.
2. 1886: Site of Ebenezer Christian Church which is today known as Traders Point Christian Church. (this church has a long history of "moving to higher ground. The original site of Ebenezer Christian Church was south of Wilson Road. Following the dislocation of the Traders Point community in 1962 Traders Point Christian Church built a new facility at the intersection of Moore and Lafayette Roads (today New Life Worship Center).
3. Dandy Trail once intersected with Lafayette Road at this location. As Traders Point grew, this intersection was populated with two gas stations, a restaurant and a grocery store.
4. Site of the original commercial district of Traders, Point Indiana.
5. Site of a dairy farm once owned and operated by J.K. Lilly
6. Site of Cassilly Adam's 8 acre homestead at the time of his death in 1926
7. Site of J.K. Lilly's private orchard. (Note the rows of trees still visible today).

So what can we say about Conner's parcel today? It continues to be filled with irony and surprises. Over 185 years after his patent the parcel is still unpopulated. It is located largely within the boundaries of the Eagle Creek Park and Nature Preserve. And there are no commercial enterprises located within the parcel. The next time you cross Eagle Creek by car on Lafayette Road, or pass under the bridge by boat, remember that this "x" created by the spot where the creek and the road intersect, may once have been a spot where commerce occurred between the native Americans and the first generation of Indiana settlers such as William Conner. Remember after all that Conner's first wife was the daughter of Chief Anderson of the Delaware Tribe. Conner was a multi lingual Indian scout--as comfortable sitting around the fire in Indian dress with Tecumseh as he would have been entertaining neighbors in his mansion; the first brick home in Hamilton County. Conner was an enigma in his day. And he has left us with many unanswered questions about the true meaning of the term "Traders Point".

There is another element to the patent that may be even more startling and exciting. Conner's Traders Point parcel bears striking similarities to his Hamilton County parcel made famous by Conner Prairie, a Living History Museum in Noblesville. Consider the following shared characteristics:
1. Close proximity to Indian activity and settlements (a neighbor of ours claims to have evidence of a native American settlement near their property. I will protect their privacy and disclose their identify and location on a limited basis.)
2. Potential for or known existence of a Trading Post where trade between native Americans and early settlers and traders could occur. (we know Conner had a Trading Post along the White River. We only have the anecdotal evidence of the town's name to infer a trading post existed near Eagle Creek).
3. large expanse of floodplain bottomland (prairie) that was prone to flooding.
4. creation of levees that decreased seasonal fluctuations in tillable acreage within the prairie lowlands.
5. vast expanses of acreage that are devoted to public use today (Eagle Creek Park and Conner Prairie).
6. Eagle Creek and White River parcels include heavily forested wooded uplands overlooking the prairie where first generation beech, walnut and oak trees have been preserved. This is unusual because it was the tendency of the early farmer and pioneer to remove the first generation of hardwoods to increase tillable acreage. Although the pioneers used some of these cut trees for construction of cabins and out buildings, most of the wood would have been burned in large piles. The pioneers lacked the resources to transport the trees, which were plentiful everywhere and viewed as a nuisance by farmers. There is some folklore that the heavy hardwoods in the valley of Eagle Creek were preserved because Daniel Boone had surveyed the area and carved a bear paw in a Beech tree near Conner's patent. Challenging topography would have also preserved some of the trees. Both the Eagle Creek parcel and the White River parcel that Conner purchased include both the upland and the low land. Conner would have had the ability to choose the precise location and characteristics of the parcels he purchased and no one would have held a gun to his head encouraging him to acquire land that was prone to flooding, not tillable without tree removal, and potentially inhabited by Indians. So what was his motive for the acquistions if not to establish trade at the spot where trails bisected a navigable waterway.
(south of Conner Prairie there is a private house, built by Eli Lilly and owned by Conner Prairie, known as the Chinese House. It is hidden within a vast forest of heavy hardwoods left untouched by the pioneers.
7. Why would Conner select two sites, both in central Indiana but separated a considerable distance by horseback for two of his first two acquisitions? Was it these similarities in characteristics? Did Conner know something about bottomland farming or harvesting hardwoods?
8. Unrelated to Conner's motives is the Lilly family coincidence of the 1920s. Around the time J.K. Lilly was acquiring land within Conner's Eagle Creek patent from depression-ra farmers, Eli Lilly, brother, was doing the same thing in Hamilton County and each would donate their parcels to Purdue University in the 1950s, only to have Purdue transfer its interests in the 1960s.
Purdue agreed to a transfer of the Hamilton County donation to Earlham College when they admitted to Mr. Eli they were not interested in telling the story of the sturdy pioneer. Purdue donated the Eagle Creek parcel to the City of Indianapolis for the creation of Eagle Creek Reservoir and park.
I was employed by Conner Prairie from 1980 to 1982 but it would be years later when, as a new resident of Traders Point, I would trace the legal description of Pike's first property owner
to the spot where Eagle Creek crosses Lafayette Road. What a fun journey. This discovery of the Conner connection to Traders Point has led me to appreciate the considerable coincidences of these two areas.

And all these years later, can we believe it is just coincidence that attracted one man to two sites that share so many characteristics?

Confirming the location of Conner's patent

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:50:00 +0000

The patent contains a legal description of the precise location of the 80 acre parcel that William Conner "patented" in 1823. We gave the legal description to a registered land surveyor, Mike Deboys, and it was a fairly straightforward matter for him to locate the parcel based on its legal description: The east half of the south east quarter of section twenty eight in Township seventeen of Range two, in the District of Brookville and State of Indiana, containing 80 acres. This is the parcel's DNA, its unique marker that enables us to confirm today the location of Conner's patent. His 80 acre land parcel would be the first parcel legally owned in Pike Township of Marion County following the native American occupancy of the area, so it has some significance just for that reason. But we now believe Conner, who was neither a farmer nor a settler in Marion County, was motivated by his knowledge of the unique characteristics of this specific parcel. We believe his desire to patent this particular parcel (as opposed to parcels more tillable) was motivated by his business interests that already were taking place on the site (such as a trading post) or that he believed a business enterprise such as land speculation might be profitable in this location. The discovery that the patent was graded second rate for farming, by the original surveyor of the Indiana Territory, further confirms that the parcel was being acquired for speculative purposes.

William Conner's Patent

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:38:00 +0000

Certificate No. 3847

The United States of America

To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting:

Whereas William Conner of Marion County Indiana has deposited in the General Land Office of the United States a certificate of the Register of the Land Office at Brookville, State of Indiana whereby it appears that full payment has been made by the said William Conner according to the provisions of the Act of Congress of the 24^th of April, 1820, entitled “An act making further provision for the sale of the Public Lands,” for The East half of the South East quarter of section twenty eight in Township seventeen, of Range two, in the District of Brookville and State of Indiana, containing eighty acres according to the official play of the survey of the said Lands, returned to the General Land Office by the Surveyor General, which said tract has been purchased by the said William Conner.

Now know ye, that the United States of America, in consideration of the premises, and in conformity with the several acts of Congress, in such case made and provided, have Given and Granted, and, by these presents do give and grant, unto the said William Conner tenances, of whatsoever nature, thereto belonging, unto the said William Conner and his heirs and assigns forever.

In testimony whereof, I, James Monroe, President of the United States of America, have caused these letters to be made Patent, and the seal of the General Land Office to be hereunto affixed.

Given under my hand, at the City of Washington, the twenty sixth day of July in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and twenty three, and of the Independence of the United States the forty eighth. By the President. Geo. Graham, Commissioner of the General Land Office.

Crown Point Cemetery

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:46:00 +0000

I just received a note from former resident Dr. Ruth Ann Parish, that I would like to pass along to any interested in or curious about the small cemetery located on Wilson Road at Crown Point Road, the Crown Point Cemetery.

Gentlemen:

Just a note to let you all know that I received a nice letter today from Mr. John Greeley, 5035 Lafayette Road, Inpls, In 46254-1941 (the street address was given to me by the Pike Twp division of the County Assessor's office). This is what Mr. Greeley said:

"Dear Ruth Ann,

The Crown Point Cemetery is maintained by descendants of the Caldwell family. The cemetery is private, and used by the family members. The war members are remembered and the American Legion has an annual service and provides a flag and pole. Thank you for your interest.

Yours truly,

John Greeley, Trustee"

And this summary from Trish Bliss via website interment.net:
Crown Point Cemetery Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
8200 W. Crown Point Rd, Indianapolis, INLat: 39° 53' 16"N, Lon: 86° 18' 31"W
Contributed by Trish Bliss, Jun 28, 2004 [krmom@indy.rr.com]. Total records = 123.
Take I-465N to I-65N. Exit on 71st St. exit number 124. Turn right on 71st. Turn left on Lafayette Rd. Turn left on Traders Ln. Traders Ln curves around and turns into Wilson Rd. Turn right on Crown Point Rd. (Tree lined) Make quick left into cemetery.
I do not know the ownership or anyone to contact, but the cemetery is wWell maintained.
I transcribed this cemetery on Jun 26, 2004 by walking and reading all existing and legible headstones.
- Trish Bliss

Birt, Henry, b. 1867, d. 1934Brumfield, Lucy, d. 26 Feb 1892, age: 70y 4d, w/o Nathan BrumfieldBrumfield, Nathan, d. 27 Dec 1889, age: 75y 1m 7dBrumfield, Susan, d. 17 0ct 1911, age: 67y 4m 17dBuntin, Emma D, b. 1866, d. 1935, s/w William WBuntin, William W, b. 1850, d. 1934, s/w Emma DButton, Esther, b. 17 May 1856, d. 24 Sep 1904Button, Harrison, b. 01 Jan 1813, d. 22 Feb 1897, age: 84y 1m 21d, s/w SarahButton, James, d. worn, s/o HW & S ButtonButton, Sarah, d. 16 Aug 1887, age: 71y 8m 19d, w/o H W Button s/w HarrisonCaldwell, Albert, b. 1866, d. 1930, Father s/w Emily CaldwellCaldwell, Andrew, b. 1861, d. 1925, Front: At Rest Caldwell s/w CassieCaldwell, Barbara, d. May 1948, age: InfantCaldwell, Bessie, b. 08 Oct 1888, d. 19 N0v 1951, MomCaldwell, Carl W, b. 1885, d. 1946, FatherCaldwell, Cassie, b. 1864, d. 1918, age: Front: At rest Caldwell s/w AndrewCaldwell, Catharine, d. Aug 1855, age: 50y, w/o James s/w James cracked 2nd stone placed nearbyCaldwell, Doris 'Pat', b. 1925, d. 1989, s/w Floyd A CaldwellCaldwell, Edd, b. 18 Oct 1888, d. .24 Apr 1936, DadCaldwell, Edith, d. 3 Jul 18__, age: 39y 5m 6d, w/o C G Cald H Birt o half stone sunkenCaldwell, Elmer A, b. 1914, d. 1971, s/w EvaCaldwell, Emily, b. 1867, d. 1938, Mother s/w Albert CaldwellCaldwell, Eva M, b. 1912, d. 1988, s/w ElmerCaldwell, Floyd A, b. 1922, d. 2002, Vet. W W II s/w Doris Caldwell, J D, b. 1855, d. 1930, s/w LouisaCaldwell, James, d. 15 Feb 1874, age: 76y 6m 20d, s/w Catharine CaldwellCaldwell, John, d. 07 Oct 1893, age: 59y 7m 15d, Father s/w Mary AnnCaldwell, Louisa, b. 1857, d. 1916, his wife s/w J D CaldwellCaldwell, Mary Ann, d. 29 Aug 1891, age: 80y 10m 14d, Mother w/o John Caldwell s/w JohnCaldwell, Oliver, b. 14 Apr 1854, d. 02 Oct 1874Caldwell, Raymond R, b. 1906, d. 1906, s/o E & B CaldwellCaldwell, Rebecca, d. 21 Aug 1867, age: 18y 10m 28d, d/o R G & F stone between CaldwellsCaldwell, Richard, d. 11 Dec 1862, age: 41y 10dCaldwell, Victoria, d. sunken, d/o John M Caldwell rest worn & sunkenCarter, _ilton, d. 07 Dec 1818, age: 15y 8m 19d, top left corner sunken Carter, Mary, d. 28 Feb 1855, age: 72y 1m 25d, w/o Henry Carter Cherry, James W, b. 1928, d. 1989, s/w DorisCombs, Benjamin, b. 1892, d. 1977, s/w Nellie E CombsCombs, Elizabeth, d. 08 Mar 1871,,Liberty, MO,,,, age: ,29y 3m 16d, w/o J M CombsCombs, Levi, b. 1809, d. 1865, age: 58y 6m 4d, s/w Lucinda 2nd stone who departed this life Sep 13 A.D. 1865Combs, Lucinda, b. 1816, d. 1900, s/w Levi CombsCombs, Nellie E, b. 1893, d. 1975, s/w Benjamin W CombsCouchren, Catherine R, d. 05 Jan 1861, age: 40y 25d, w/o Josiah CouchrenDelong, James E, b. 04 Jul 187_, d. 31 Jul 1872, s/o Saag N & Marinda Delong (stone cracked)Delong, William, d. 28 Sep 1871, age: 28y 8m 19d, s/o Jacob & Sarah DelongDickerson, Burton, d. 13 Jan 1864, age: 75yDickerson, George A, d. 28 Jan 18_0, age: 5y 10m 5d, D/O RW & JA Dickerson s/w Robert WDickerson, Infant, d. none, infant of J & S DickersonDickerson, Robert W, d. 04 Mar 1856, age: 31y 8m 13d, s/w George A DickersonDickerson, Sarah A, d. 09May 1882, age: 54y 10m 19d, w/o J G Dickerson s/w concrete slabDickerson, Sarah, d. 17 Mar 1869, age: 68y 9m 10d, w/o Burton DickersonDickerson, Susan, d. 01 May 1869, age: 28y 1m 15d, d/o B & S DickersonDuncan, Carrie, b. 08 Apr 1873, d. 03 Oct 1873, d/o Henry & R DuncanDuncan, Effie, b. 08 Dec 1870, d. 21 Oct 1894Duncan, Henry, b. 17 Nov 1840, d. 17 Feb 1896, s/w Rebecca worn-___REG CO F IND VOLSDuncan, John, b. 1874, d. 1928Duncan, Rebecca, b. 30 Jun 1844, d. 06 Apr 1901, age: w/o Henry DuncanDuncan, William, b. 11-Feb-05, d. 1933Graham, James T, d. 10 Jun 1859, died of Ph__isis (worn) s/w PhineasGraham, Margaret G, d. __Sep___, d/o T & M Graham rest is wornGraham, Phineas B, d. 26 Aug 1879, age: 21y 5m 7d, died of Phth___ (worn) s/w James GrahamHightshue, Edna, b. 1854, d. 1942, s/w EliasHightshue, Elias, b. 1851, d. 1929Hoffman, Lena, d. 31 Mar 1995, age: Mom CourtneyHuls, Alfred D, b. 31 May 1834, d. 07 Feb 1888, CO H 7 REGT IND VOLS s/w MaryHuls, Elisabeth, d. 12 Jan 1877, age: 87y 12d, w/o ThomasHuls, Elisabeth, d. 18 __t 1872, age: _y 11m 18d, w/o James H Huls left side of stone sunkenHuls, Harrison, b. 1856, d. 1933, s/w VictoriaHuls, James, d. 22 Apr 1891, age: 63y 4dHuls, Mary B, b. 14 Feb 1849, d. 10 Jun 1902, age: s/w AlfredHuls, Thomas, d. 21 Sep 1856, age: sunkenHuls, Victoria, b. 1858, d. 1929, Mother s/w HarrisonJohnson, Ernest, b. 15 May 1879, d. 01 May 1899Lower, Henry C, d. none, CO G 116 IND INFMarvel, Clara, d. none, Margaret Ettie and Clara c/o George W & Sarah MarvelMarvel, Ettie, d. none, Margaret Ettie and Clara c/o George W & Sarah MarvelMarvel, Margaret, d. none, Margaret Ettie and Clara c/o George W & Sarah MarvelMarvel, Sarah, b. 1834, d. 1875, Mother w/o George W MarvelMcCorkle, Mary, b. 1806, d. 1849, w/o Campbell MillerMcGuire, Edward, d. 17 Mar 1862, age: 30y 7m & __, s/o WH & S McGuire bottom right sunkenMiller, Alexander, d. 18___187_, death date sunken-age wornMiller, Alexander, d. 30 Jan 1853, age: 23y 11m 6dMiller, James, d. worn, all info wornMiller, John, b. 03 Oct 1801, d. 05 Feb 1885, age: 83y 4m 2dMiller, William, b. 01 Mar 1757, d. 08 Nov 1840, PVT 8 REGT PA & VA LINES Revolutionary WarParker, Robert, b. 1929, d. 1986, s/w Donna Korean War VeteranRansburg, Blanche, b. 1910, d. 1974, Blanche (Bobbie) empty name plate on stoneRedding, Louis, b. 1902, d. 1967, HusbandRedding, Mary, b. 1908, d. 1994Resler, Homer R, b. 1880, d. 1945, S/w Lavada ReslerResler, Lavada, b. 1890, d. .1968, age: s/w Homer R ReslerRoss, Alexander, d. 11 Nov 1876, age: 83y 8m 13dRoss, Elisabeth, d. ___1891, w/o ___Ross (very worn)Ross, Infant, d. 18 Apr 1861, d/o JM & MJ RossRoss, John M, b. 1821, d. 1868, s/w Mary J RossRoss, John M, d. 02 Apr 1868, age: 17y 2m 26dRoss, Margaret B, b. 1863, d. 1944Ross, Margaret, d. worn, w/o John M RossRoss, Mary J, b. 1827, d. 1905, s/w John M RossRoss, Nancy, d. sunken, w/o Alexander RossRoss, Victoria, d. worn, d/o JM & MJ RossShelburne, Allie, b. 1862, d. 1919, also a smaller marker by her feet w/ Allie on itSimmons, Jessee E, b. 1885, d. 1952Snyder, Ed, b. 1870, d. 1926Snyder, George, b. 1897, d. 1984, CPL US ARMY World War ISnyder, Joseph S, d. 06 Jun 1880, age: 28/9y 20d, s/o W & R Snyder Age is slightly wornSnyder, Malinda, b. 28 Dec 1848, d. 02 Aug 189_, death date slightly worn (poss 1894)Snyder, Rachel, d. 02 Aug 1900, age: 80y 10m 5d, w/o William SnyderSnyder, William, d. 06 Dec 1882, age: 67y 1m 14dStum, Stephen, b. 1947, d. 1989Tolin, Mary M, b. 1913, d. 2002, s/w Paul also 2x4 at foot reads Linda Tolin Tarpley (mother Mary CaldwellTolin, Paul L, b. 1911, d. 2001, s/w Mary also 2x4 at foot reads Linda Tolin Tarpley (mother Mary Caldwell)Vorhis, Nancy, d. 29 __c 1860, age: 53y 7m 22d, w/o Henry T Vorhis death month sunken 'aged' crackedWalker, Judith, d. Wilkins, Alice, b. 1876, d. 1902Wilkins, Benjamin H, b. 1888, d. 1968, s/w Dora H WilkinsWilkins, Dora H, b. 1889, d. 1944, S/w Benjamin H WilkinsWilkins, Griffith, b. 1861, d. 1937Williams, Gregory Steven, b. 22 Sep 1970, d. 24___1975, Notre Petit Ange-death date 24 Juillet 1975-Tu Nous ManquesWilson, Marian, b. 19 Aug 1825, d. 05 Sep 1906, age: 81y 16d, d/o Reuben & Marian Wilson and mother of Chas WilsonWood, Harry, b. 01 Apr 1880, d. 05 Sep 1899, wornWood, Lizzie, b. 23 Feb 1859, d. 01 Jan 1884Wood, Will, b. 1858, d. 1905Misc:18 Broken-off stones (base and part of marble left)8 unnamed stones9 worn illegible stones

A Traders Point Landmark to close

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:40:00 +0000

We have just received the sad news that Hoosier Orchid Co. a Traders Point landmark, will close in August. Bill Rhodehamel, owner, once told me that his interest in orchids began at Madeline Fortune Elder's greenhouse on Moore Road. For many years he operated in the heart of the Traders Point triangle near West 82nd Street and Lafayette Road. Sad news for our area and a commentary to what's happening to mom and pop businesses in the United States

Wed. July 30 - 2008

By Erik StegemillerSpecial to IBJ

Hoosier Orchid Co., a far-northwest-side company that grew to become one of the nation's most specialized orchid growers, is going out of business at the end of August.Founder William Rhodehamel said the ornamental flowers have become a commodity now stocked even at stores like Costco."It used to be that if you wanted orchids in Indianapolis, you had to come to us," Rhodehamel said.Business also withered because fewer people are showing interest in the myriad specialty versions that Rhodehamel raised. Membership in the American Orchid Society, a group of hobbyists and enthusiasts, has fallen substantially in recent years.Rhodehamel started Hoosier Orchid in 1989 after a gift of three of the flowers from a friend sparked an ongoing fascination. He eventually cultivated orchids never before grown from seed, as well as some varieties that have never received scientific names."We have some incredibly rare plants here, some not maintained anywhere else in the world," Rhodehamel said. "We'll put those in botanical gardens where we know they'll be safe."Almost all the plants in the 5,000-square-foot greenhouse at 82nd Street and Lafayette Road will be offered to the public through Hoosier Orchid's Web site and sales on site.Operations with mail-order and walk-in customers will continue as usual until Aug. 30, when shelves will be cleared.

Traders Point Creamery Lands Lucas Oil Stadium Suites Contract

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:16:00 +0000

Zionsville dairy will serve products at Lucas Oil Stadium gamesBy Leslie CollinsStar Correspondent
Indianapolis Colts fans from Zionsville who watch the games from the new Lucas Oil Stadium suites will feel right at home while grazing the table spread. Organic cheeses, ice cream and yogurts from Traders Point Creamery are likely to be on the menu.
While the details remain a secret, creamery spokespersons are looking forward to serving the farm fare in the suites at the onset of football season.
The popular organic dairy farm just south of Zionsville on Moore Road, is a common destination for its weekly farmers market, cafe and wine/cheese/music events on the patio. Its milk and yogurt products, cased in old-style glass milk bottles, are easy to spot on the shelves of supermarkets and organic food stores.
"The chocolate milk tastes like melted ice cream," noted Sharon Wolfe, who works in the farm store. Raspberry yogurt is a favorite among customers, she added.
The creamery has already branched out beyond the Lucas Oil Stadium, said Gail Alden, the creamery's publicist. Traders Point fare can be found on caterers' menus across the country, including the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. "In San Francisco, our cheeses are very popular," Alden said.
But the local break with the stadium came when executive Chef Shumu Adem heard about the creamery from a friend and arranged with Alden to go to Traders Point for an official product sampling.
When he got there, Wolfe said she offered him and the other chefs cheese, yogurt and ice cream samples, not knowing who they were.
They were impressed. At the end of the day, all cheeses and yogurts come from the recipes of Fons Smits, creamery manager. He's known at the creamery as the "artisan cheesemaker."
"My philosophy is to develop very simple recipes," said Smits, a native of Holland. "All cheeses are made here, on site, and all of our milk products are certified organic, which means they are high in omega-3 and healthy fatty acids."
Though the creamery sells beef products, Smits is not sure the farm could, at this point, fill the volume required by the stadium.
"I'm not so sure about that," Alden said, with a laugh. "It could happen down the road."
For now, she has met with several Lucas Oil Stadium chefs, and they are still hashing out the menu items. One thing is for sure, all will be Traders Point first-rate style. For example, all the cheeses will be put under glass.
"Exactly which ones, I can't tell you yet," she said. "But all in all, it is a very exciting project."

Traders Point Creamery rates a perfect FIVE COWS!

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Study finds organic milk contains better nutrients
By Shari Rudavsky shari.rudavsky@indystar.com
A recent study bolsters the argument that the text beneath the white mustache on the well-known ads should be amended to read, "Got organic milk?"
Natural-food aficionados, organic dairy farmers and some nutritionists have long argued that organic milk is healthier than its conventional counterpart because it does not contain substances such as antibiotics.
Now, there's an increasing body of evidence to show that organic milk contains some beneficial substances that other milk lacks.
A recent study by a researcher at Newcastle University (United Kingdom) sheds light on what's so special about organic milk. Cows that graze on real grass and clover produce milk that contains more antioxidants, vitamins and the good-for-you fatty acids.
The study found that the milk of these cows was particularly nutrient-rich in the summer, when they had the greatest access to fresh grass. During this season, the milk contained 60 percent more of the fatty acid CLA.
This finding did not surprise Mark Kastel, co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based watchdog for the organic industry.
Such thinking has helped draw more consumers to organic milk and through this to more organic products in general, he says.
"The first part is about protecting your health and your family's health by avoiding chemicals that are known to be deleterious," Kastel says.
"There's also a growing body of scientific literature that indicates organic food is healthier for you."
Research shows that organic milk has lower levels of pesticides and fungicides, many of which can be considered to be carcinogens.
Other chemicals found in conventional milk are suspected of triggering developmental problems by mimicking hormones, Kastel says.
So, many households are turning to organic milk.
From 2004 to 2005, sales of organic milk increased by 25 percent, surpassing $1 billion, according to a May 2007 report from the USDA's economic research service. Overall sales of milk remained constant.
But not all organic milk is created equal, the Cornucopia Institute has found. The institute has produced an organic dairy scorecard (using cow icons) to rate organic brands on just how organic they truly are.
Zionsville's Traders Point Creamery, the only Indiana-based one on the list, rates a perfect five cows.
The institute plans to update the scorecard, available at www .cornucopia.org, in the coming month.

A stone quarry in Traders Point

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:27:00 +0000

Elvin Wickline was a West Virginian transplanted to Indiana. At the time I met him in 1984 he was in his 70s. He was practicing real estate as a way to make a little money. He had a sign on a piece of property in Traders Point. It was a parcel that my wife and my brother and I would eventually purchase and subdivide for our two homes. An acre for us, an acre for my brother and 3 acres in the floodway of Eagle Creek that was 20 feet lower than the buildable lots that would become our private park. "There's a swamp on the property," Wickline reported when I called the number on the rusty for sale sign situated in the high weeds at the corner of Moore and Lafayette Roads. "And there are plans for a gravel mining operation east of the property," he warned, "so you may have lakefront property in 20 or 30 years." Elvin encouraged us to walk the property on our own and to to be careful of the briars and poison ivy. What we found was a neglected and overgrown parcel that held enormous potential. He showed us a newspaper article that quoted Phillip H. Minton, the attorney for Allied Aggregates, claiming the mineral rights to a 200 acre area east of the parcel of interest extending to Eagle Creek. We bought it anyway. As fate would have it, the mineral rights were terminated after the city persuaded the Baltimore Colts to move in March 1984. In a complicated transaction that transferred park-owned land on West 56th to the Colts for a training facility, the city's Department of Public Works gave their aggregate-laden parcel between West 79th Street and Lafayette Road to Indy Parks for a nature preserve 1986. After negotiating with Wickline and his client, Bob and Patty Barth, for a contract sale, and years before our homes were built, we would spend our weekends at the pond. We ordered a dumpster and filled it with old bikes, broken bottles and rusty cans; junk that dated to a time when neighbors knew they could place trash there without penalty. We fought back the jungle with bow saws, weed whips and axes, and ended long days with weekend bon fires. We camped there and dreamed of one day living permanently nearby. We fished Doug Clark's stocked lake (now Mill Pond), where you had to drive thru a red barn to get to the water, and we relocated a few bass and blue gill. Fast forward to 1990 or 91. The phone rang in our new home on the property. "I'm one of your neighbors on Moore Road. My name is Glidewell. I have lots of memories about that pit in your backyard. Mind if I share them with you?" Within minutes we were in Boz Glidewell's driveway. Boz had lost most of his hearing, due in part to weekends spent wearing a yellow shirt at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, directing traffic and just hanging out. He was nearly blind. Within a few short years he would be gone. But his mind was sharp the day we met. We piled into the car and drove down to the pond, accessing its lane from 79th Street. "Every old road in Pike Township has gravel from this pit. The horses were hitched to wagons and they would back down this ramp," he said, pointing to a gradual incline that led into the water. "There was always a steam shovel over there," he said, motioning toward the southeastern corner of the pond." Another neighbor, Kathy Burden Bewsey, grew up in the 1960's in a house across the street, (at the northeast corner of West 79th and Moore). "One day Jack Myers put a motor boat in the pit and raced it across." Kathy remembered her dad fishing there and bringing home dinner. She recalled riding her bike down a much steeper and gravel-covered 79th street toward the creek before it was raised like a levee and paved with asphalt. Aerial photography from the 1930s shows an active quarry The quarry expands in subsequent aerial photos taken in the '40s, '50s and '60s. At some point in the '60s or early '70s the pond was exhausted and abandoned. It was allowed to fill with water. We swam in its water but don't recommend it. A few years ago we built a dock. Adirondack chairs are nailed to the wood because we tired of fishing them out of the water after a storm. The pond is narrowly visible to West 79th Street. Most motorists drive too fast to know it's there. That's probably just as well.

J. K. Lilly, Jr. and Traders Point area

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Josiah Kirby Lilly, Jr. (1893-1966) was the youngest son of J.K. Lilly Sr. He earned a pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan and entered the family business in 1914. He focused on personnel and marketing. Largely through his efforts, Eli Lilly and Company became known for its "personnel-friendly" policies, such as fair wages, benefits for employees, etc. In 1944, J.K., Jr. left the vice-presidency to head the Eli Lilly International Corporation. He became president of Eli Lilly and Company four years later.

He held a great interest in rare books and manuscripts, amassing a large collection of items. His collection was donated to Indiana University in 1956-1957 and became the core of the Lilly Library, the rare book and manuscript repository on the IU-Bloomington campus. Material was also donated to the Indiana Historical Society. Josiah Kirby Lilly, Jr., born in 1893, collected things from the time he was a child, beginning with his movie theater ticket stubs. After finishing college in 1914, he joined the family firm of Eli Lilly and Co. He served in France in WWI where he continued to collect things. After the war he returned to work in the family business and succeeded his brother as president in 1948. Later he became chairman of the board; a position he held until he died.
He continued to work on his collections, amassing 20,000 books and 17,000 manuscripts which he gave to Indiana University. His gold coin collection, 6113 pieces, went to the Smithsonian. The J. K. Lilly, Jr. family residence, the National Historic Landmark Oldfields–Lilly House & Gardens, is on the grounds of the world-renowned Indianapolis Museum of Art. The Lilly House features eight furnished historic rooms on the main level. The majority of these rooms reflect the 1930s period of the Lilly family's occupancy and almost 90 percent of the furnishings and decorative arts objects featured belonged to the Lillys and were used in the home. IMA's gardens and grounds are renowned for their beauty, elegance and history. The 152-acre complex includes: Oldfields, the 26-acre American Country Place estate that once belonged to J.K. Lilly Jr.

In the Traders Point area, Mr. Lilly built rural recreational buildings and amassed large parcels that later became part of the 4,900 acre, municipally owned Eagle Creek reservoir and park. The Lilly family and others who created or modified the Traders Point area’s built environment during the 1930s to 1950s had accumulated wealth before the Great Depression, and their industries and investments were relatively unaffected by its financial disruption. The map above shows the land accumulation that Mr. Lilly and other successful people from Indianapolis had achieved by about 1935 near Traders Point, including the Eagle Creek Park area. Mr. Lilly put some of his land into farming and planted trees on the rest. However, he built only weekend or vacation lodges and outbuildings on the Traders Point area land, (including a now-demolished stable at the northwest corner of West 65th and Dandy Trail) , and retained his primary residence of Oldfields nearer to Indianapolis.

During Mr. Lilly's ownership of land in the area, , Eagle Creek was inaccessible for public recreation, except by permission, for the simple reason that land was privately owned. No parks existed along Eagle Creek until the reservoir and Eagle Creek Park were created in 1968. The original settlement of Traders Point, which had flooded almost annually, was razed to create a spillway for Eagle Creek reservoir. In this map, circa 1935-1940, (above), the name of J. K. Lilly, Jr., as owner is attached to some 1,400 acres south of Traders Point. By 1941, when the land was sold or donated to Purdue University, Eagle Crest Estate (as Lilly called the landholding) included 3,600 acres. It was initially run as a farm, raising grain, soybeans, hay, and hogs, then registered beef and dairy cattle. Lilly made some of the parcels into a nature preserve that he planted with hardwood saplings and stocked with pheasants for hunting. Two rustic lodges with Tudor Revival details are located on 172 acres that Lilly purchased from a C. E. Parker in 1935; and a third, more substantial residence of similar style stands west of Eagle Creek. In spite of the buildings’ potentially early date circa 1910, they are included within the Traders Point's estate-era period of significance 1925-1956. The building pictured above, the park's Nature Center, was the 1930s storage space or library for collections owned by J. K. Lilly, Jr. This is believed to be the true birthplace of the esteemed Lilly Library on the IU campus in Bloomington. If J. K. Lilly, Jr., did not construct this building, he had it remodeled to safeguard his manuscript, coin, and other collections. There is a room-sized safe within the building’s interior, and all windows are fitted with pocket-type sheet-iron shutters that can be slid closed and locked. The center unit of the building has a recently remodeled room with large windows providing a view of the reservoir. (source: Eliza Steelwater, Author of United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form: Rural Historical and Architectural Resources of Eagle Township (Boone County) and Pike Township (Marion County), Indiana, 1820-1956, c. 2006.

Pike Team Named Brain Game Champions!

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:58:00 +0000

Competition Results were as follows: First Round - Pike 29, Bloomington North 16; Pike 35, Guerin 8; Second Round - Pike 51, Zionsville 36;Third Round - Pike 48, Lawrence Central 42;Semifinals - Pike 44, defending champion Park Tudor 40;Championship Match - Pike 45, Franklin Central 38 .

Traders Point neighbor and school volunteer extraordinaire, Ann Edwards, has reminded me of a recent acheivement by some of our own.

Congratulations to our outstanding scholars on an exceptional season!!! Pike's Championship winning team was comprised of Andy Johns, Sara Takacs, Barry Weinberg (captain), Sam Weinberg, and alternates Caitlin Barringer and Josh Lee.Brain Game is sponsored by Westfield Insurance and WTHR and is one of the longest-running academic competitions in the United States. Four-person teams compete to answer questions from all subject ares and current events in a single-elimination format. The matches are taped at the Fairbanks Center for Telecommunications at Butler University and are aired on WTHR on Saturday evenings at 7 p.m.

Traders Point's Covered Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Recent flooding destroyed the Moscow Covered Bridge in Rush County. Margaret Weir Smith, President of the Indiana Covered Bridge Society, writes in today's Indianapolis Star about our covered bridges and reminds Traders Point residents of how rare and signficant it is to have a covered bridge. (Traders Point's covered bridge once spanned Fishback Creek on West 86th Street. Safely relocated by preservationists in the early 1960s during the construction of Interstate 65, the bridge is now barely visible to passing motorists. It is located within the southwest quadrant of West 86th Street and Interstate 65 on private property, down a steep gravel drive that plunges nearly 100 feet below the grade of West 86th Street. A Howe truss bridge, it was originally constructed in 1876 and is 88 feet in length. It is registered in the world guide of covered bridges as 14-49-01. It is the only surviving covered bridge in Marion County. )

Reprinted below is an excerpt from Ms. Smith's MY VIEW article: "More than 600 covered bridges were built in Indiana between 1820 and 1922, with the 1880s being the heydey of covered bridge building. Why were these wooden bridges covered? Mainly to protect the flooring and interior from the elements. After the 1880s, more bridges were constructed of iron then later of concrete, materials that were both cheaper and stronger than wood. Time then took its toll on the stately covered bridges of wood. Only 89 remain in Indiana. However, only two states, Pennsylvania and Ohio, have more extant covered bridges. Much information about the bridges is available by going to the website of the Indiana Covered Bridge Society www.countyhistory.com/icbs.

Corner Stone for area in Eagle Creek Park

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:02:00 +0000

Pike's Black Heritage (Traders Point), Indianapolis Star article, 1996.

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:27:00 +0000

by S. L. Berry, Staff Writer. (orig. publ. in 1996)

Imagine this: A place in central Indiana without urban sprawl. A place where farm fields spread out like a vast ocean of green, divided by gravel roads and dirt lanes. A place no one locks their doors and everyone knows their neighbors.

It might be hard to believe, in the face of all the office parks, housing developments, and apartment complexes that now crowd the landscape but Pike Township was such a place earlier in this century. It was a nice place to raise a family whether you were white or black.

At a time when Indianapolis was rife with racial prejudice, Pike Township was a refuge of sorts for black families. Black children attended integrated schools and participated in integrated sports programs while their parents did business with white merchants and worked side by side with white residents.

Pike Township's black heritage involves the sharing of a strong sense of community based on shared beliefs in hardwork, mutual aid and God.

More than a century

For many black residents of central Indiana, Pike Township was like the supportive black community Clifton Taulbert describes in Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored. The memoir, the basis for the acclaimed film directed by Tim Reid, describes life in Glen Allan, Miss. in the 1850s.

"I don't know how long black people have lived in Pike Township," says Clarence Wood, "but I know it has been more than 100 years." Wood, 71, a retired vice president of AFNB (now Bank One) and a former president of the Pike Township School Board, can trace his roots in the township to his maternal grandparents, who settled there in the late 19th century. Wood was born in a house at 62nd Street and Guion Road. "When I was 4 years old, my dad bought a 16 acre farm that's now Eagle Creek Park," says Wood. "We lived in a 3-room house without electricity or inside toilet facilities."

It wasn't a black community in terms of geography. Wood says. "There were African-American families scattered all over the township," he says. There were some who lived in Bitter Root in the far northwest corner of the township. There were others who lived along Shanghai Road and DeLong Road and Reed Road.

Faith and Fun. The one place where there were no blacks, says Wood, was the township's only real town, Augusta. While black families shopped in New Augusta stores, they lived elsewhere."

The center of black community life was Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church. Founded in 1893, the church was more than a place of worship--it was also a gathering place for social events. "Basically everything revolved around the church." says Wood.

His cousin Evelyn Potter agrees, citing Mount Pleasant's annual homecoming as an example of how the church brought area blacks together. "People would come out from town and just enjoy being in the country. They would spread out on the lawn under the trees."

On the move. In 1930, when the church was forced to move from its original location on a lot donated by a local farmer, black residents chipped in to raise the $300.00 to buy a new lot; they also helped construct a new building. That site now is marked by a plaque in Eagle Creek Park. Mount Pleasant moved to its present location at 5111 W. 62nd Street in 1972 due to the park's development.

Potter, 62, says she truly enjoyed growing up in the township, despite the rigors of country life. "I used to have to help haul wood and coal into the house and put them by the pot-bellied sotve. And I had to fill the oil lamps. At night I would study upstairs in our new house, wrapped in a blanket and reading by lamplight. And on Saturdays I walked 3 miles across fields to go to 4-H."

Teachers were supportive. Potter credits her Pike Township teachers with helping her succeed. "They always encouraged me. My phys ed teacher especially -- she encouraged me to work hard. She told me I could do whatever I wanted, and I did. I graduated from high school, went to Indiana University and became a teacher. I taught for IPS for 34 years."

But life wasn't perfect, says Potter. She did encounter prejudice. "Being black, I wasn't able to be a cheerleader, and I wasn't able to go with my class to Washington, D.C. But I managed."

So did Vernon Parker, a cousin of Wood and Potter. Now 79, Parker recalls playing on New Augusta High School's basketball team and coming into Indianapolis for games. "It was bad when you got away from home," says Parker. "We never had any trouble in Pike, but in Indianapolis I wasn't always treated too good."

Though blacks and whites in the township got along well, says Parker, there wasn't a lot of socializing outside of school events. "Folks would have parties, but weren't interracial."

But the lack of interracial socializing made for stronger bonds among Pike's black residents. "Our activities were among ourselves out here", says Potter.

Many have stayed. Once real estate development took off in Pike Township in the 1960s, says Wood, the rural way of life began to fade. Black families sold their farms to developers, says Wood, and "The farms grew houses."

But as the farms grew houses, black families bought some of those homes. Both Wood and Potter live in Pike Township still. "I'm just pleased to be part of this community," says Potter. "My roots are here."

Pike's Black Heritage and Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Reller) — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:17:00 +0000

Pike's African-American residents can trace their families' roots in the township for a century or more. One such symbol of the one hundred plus year history of African-Americans living in and near Traders Point is Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church.

Located at approximately 6000 N. Reed Road in Eagle Creek Park is this plaque on a rock located at the north end of a picnic area. "This plaque is a special tribute to the past generations who build and utilized this church from 1893 to 1972. Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church was founded in Pike Township in 1893 and was built on this site in 1930. As Eagle Creek Park developed, the congregation relocated to the present site at 5111 West 62nd Street. To the present and future generations this is a monument of their faith in God and hope for the betterment of mankind. Erected 1994. "