Sometimes Clay County, Illinois is one of the most boring places on the planet. For me today was one of those days. I've been thinking about taking a day trip to New Harmony, Indiana, so this afternoon I looked up New Harmony and saw that they were having an antique market in the downtown. I don't need any antiques but I thought I might spot an old camera that I couldn't live without. It was a nice show but not many vendors or people. Not seeing anything I couldn't live without I ventured into some of the galleries. There are some great artists in New Harmony. In one gallery the lady said they have a paint off week in April. The artists paint a small picture and then later a bigger one. I found it interesting to see how the artists had changed their paintings from the little one to the big one. I commented that Fairfield has a time in the fall when artist paint and she said she had judged it in the past. If you get down there make sure you check the galleries out. I then walked towards the New Harmonie area. On the way there I took this picture of a side door of The Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church. I don't know the age of the door I hate to think how much it would cost to day to have a door made like this. If you could find someone who could make it.
I also noticed a window on one of the original log buildings. It does look like the window has been replaced.
I then walked to the corner of The Roofless Church and the Red Geranium restaurant. Last time I was in the Red Geranium was Mother's Day many years ago. My sister-in-law's brother was with us and he asked our waitress who had a really good tan for May how she got it. Her reply was "I bought it." meaning a tanning bed I assume. As I passed by The Roofless Church I notice this piece of art work in the lawn area.
I continued on my journey but only after I shot a picture of a Southern Magnolia not fully open.
I decided to make my way back to the truck. First of all I was getting thirsty and I really didn't see anything more to shoot, except for the top of this building.
As I drove west I came to the New Harmony Toll Bridge. Thanks to Wikipedia I learned that the bridge was built by the Big Wabash Bridge Company of Carmi, Illinois in 1930 without federal money. It was one of the few bridges across the Big Wabash which is in both Illinois and Indiana. The bridge was closed in 2012 due to the condition and the lack of money to repair it. (It is on President Biden's list in his infrastructure bill.) I crossed that bridge in the early 1980s and it wasn't in the best of shape then.
My final stop in New Harmony was The Labyrinth State Memorial. Originally constructed by the Harmonies the one today is from 1939. If you're interested in more history of the bridge or labyrinth I'll let you look it up on your own.
Deciding it was time to leave New Harmony I made my way out of town. Since I didn't have a planned route I decided to drive through Griffen, Indiana. I've been by Griffen too many times to count on the Interstate 64, but never actually stopped and looked around. There isn't much there today a few houses and a grain elevator which was built before the railroad was removed. I did notice an old gas station from a simpler time and before self service. I had read a book about the Tri-State Tornado in school. It arrived in Griffen at 4:00pm on March 18, 1925 and whipped the town out. My dad would tell stories about finding letters and postcards from southern Illinois in fence rolls as a boy. I thought it ended in Griffen, but sign says it went on to Princeton before it ended. If the Fujita scale had existed then it would have been considered to be an F5. At this time there is no bigger ranking for tornados.
I then turned on Rt. 130 to make my way to Albion thinking I would go west to Mt. Erie. On the way I noticed what was once a rest area. Everything had been removed except for the concrete for parking. I also noticed out of the corner of my eye a two story brick home, probably built after the Civil War. This triggered a memory from one of the vacations my parents took me on. One year and don't ask me the year or where we were going we stopped in that rest area and ate a picnic lunch. As usual my dad had a hard time getting away so we got a late start. Rather than eating at home where he could get caught with something to deal with and my mom having a kitchen to clean up we left. When I was young and we were on vacation we always ate a picnic lunch. They said it was to let us boys stretch our legs. It may of been, but it was also cheaper and faster than stopping at a restaurant. In those days there were few fast food restaurants like there are today. If you're wondering what we ate I'd bet it was a cheese and pimento sandwich. My mom always made cheese and pimento to start a trip on (that was when I could eat cheese). Like I said it had been a long time since I traveled that area and in Albion I realized that I wanted to turn west at the West Salem crossroad.
On the east side of the Little Wabash bridge and north is the community called Blood. I have no idea where the name came from and there is no clustering of houses. We worked on a lease in that area many years ago. I can't tell you the name of it or what we did but I'd have to say nothing became of them since they are just a small part of my memory. I never knew where Mt Erie was when I was a boy but my mom would say her mother could see Mt. Erie from the top floor of her grandparent's house which stood south of Clay City where Larry Harvel built his new house. If you don't know that location is the highest point on Route 50 in Illinois. After leaving Mt. Erie I made my way home. When I left the house about 2pm I didn't really know how the afternoon would shape up or what I'd see. On the way home I decided to share my day with you. Feel to contact me if I need to correct something, but the part about the highest point. You'll loose if you do.
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