Goose Pond and Autumn in Indiana

It is a beautiful Autumn in Indiana and, by chance, I have had occasion to visit Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area twice in the last 10 days. Located an hour SW of Bloomington, the site is locally known as the Goose Pond and Bee Hunter Marsh. 

Since 2005 this 8,034 acre State Fish & Wildlife Area has grown to become one of the largest and most successful wetland restoration projects in the United States.  This expanse of wetlands includes over 30 miles of earthen dikes, 1,400 acres of prairie, and nearly 4,000 acres of shallow water.  
 

Today, Goose Pond is becoming a significant destination for Midwestern birders and is home to many migrating bird species. 

 White Pelicans in the late afternoon.

 And Great Blue Herons at dusk. 

With so many places to walk and wander, I'm sure I'll be back in a different season...perhaps in Spring when the Sand Hill Cranes migrate through!

Thanks for looking. Hope your Autumn is a good one.

Land of Lincoln - Springfield, Illinois

Labor Day weekend destination was Springfield, Illinois with plans to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum and a famous Frank Lloyd Wright residence.  I'll be sharing some of the many factoids I picked up along the way as well as the pictures of my trip. Turns out there is quite a bit to see in Springfield.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is located in the historic downtown section of Springfield near many other Lincoln cultural sites. The presidential library opened on October 14, 2004, and the museum opened on April 19, 2005. Until 1970, Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. was designated as the "Lincoln Museum".

 The Museum

The Library

The buildings which house the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum are are separated by a street and connected above the street level by an enclosed walkway. The entrance to each is dominated by a glass rotunda. The third structure that completes the complex is Union Station and the adjacent Union Square Park.

There is no photography allowed inside the Museum but the permanent exhibits are divided into two different stages of the President Lincoln's life: "Journey One: The Pre-Presidential Years" and "Journey Two: The Presidential Years". 

Apparently there has been a great debate among scholars over the Museum and its presentation of the life of Lincoln. In addition to some traditional exhibits there are also a variety of state of the art digital and holographic presentations that are very popular despite the disdain of academics. In August of 2012 the Museum ticketed visitor number "3 million".

My reaction: I liked it.  The Museum presents complex historical, political and social issues in a variety of innovative ways that get and keep one's attention.  And I was especially moved by the section that covers his presidency and the challenges of the Civil War. It holds up a mirror to a compelling time in our nation's history and, no doubt, President Lincoln was the man for the job in the 1860's. 

  

After learning so much at the Museum I decided to continue on to the other Lincoln historical sites. What I learned definitely carried over into visiting the other sites.  First was the Old State Capitol building.

As a practicing lawyer Lincoln tried cases before the Illinois Supreme Court in this building. He also used the law library. But most famously, it was in the Old State Capitol that, as an elected Representative, he gave the famous speech in which he stated "A house divided against itself cannot stand".

It was  built in the Greek Revival style between 1837-1840 and served as the State House from 1840 to 1876. It is the site of Lincoln's presidential candidacy announcement in 1858. And in 2007 the Old State Capitol was the site of (then Senator) Barack Obama's announcement of his candidacy for the presidency of the United States.

A few blocks away is the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, managed by the National Park Service. A four block neighborhood surrounding the Lincoln residence has been restored. It was in this home that Lincoln lived, worked, raised his family and eventually achieved the highest office in the land. It was here that he developed his ideas and beliefs about freedom and equality. He lived in Springfield from 1837 to 1861 when he and his family moved to Washington DC.

And finally, the Lincoln Tomb. 

President Lincoln's death on April 15, 1865 happened only 6 days after General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. The shock of the President's death settled over the country. After a funeral service in Washington DC, Lincoln's remains were placed on a special train for the 1,700 mile trip home to Springfield. The journey took 12 days as the train stopped at ten locations for memorial services. Upon arrival in Springfield, he was laid in state at the Old State Capitol building where he had practiced law and been an elected representative. He was then laid to rest in Oak Ridge Cemetery. The monument here was dedicated in 1874. Oak Ridge Cemetery is surpassed only by Arlington National Cemetery as the most visited in the nation.

The other piece of monumental public architecture I visited was the current Illinois State Capitol Building. 

Having outgrown the Old State Capitol building where Lincoln practiced, the current State Capitol Building saw it's first legislative session in 1877. The dome of the building is 405 feet tall.

And now for a definite change of pace: Residential architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Dana-Thomas House. No photography was allowed on the tour through the interior but I'll take you on a walk around the outside. Inside and out, it is seamless Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Dana-Thomas House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902 for Susan Lawrence Dana, an active philanthropist and socialite who had been widowed and left a considerable fortune. As a successful hostess and leader of Springfield's social scene, her home was designed for display and entertainment. An arched doorway admitted guests into a series of expanding spaces, the vestibule and reception hall.

This house was a showcase for Wright's Prairie Style. It is regarded as the best preserved and most complete of Frank Lloyd Wright’s early “Prairie” houses.

The home has 35 rooms in the 12,000 square feet of living space which includes 3 main levels.

 




 

Susan Lawrence Dana lived in the Dana-Thomas House for approximately 24 years, from 1904 until about 1928. The house was restored by the State of Illinois in 1990 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

And finally the last and most unexpected piece of architecture!

St. Francis of Assisi Church

Through the wonders of the world wide web, I had arranged to stay at the Chiara Retreat Center. Little did I realize that the grounds would include a convent, a monastery, a hospital and the Motherhouse of the American Province of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis.  Who would have thought I would find this wonderful example of Romanesque church architecture. It was quite something...both inside and out!

It was quiet, peaceful and just a 10 minute drive from downtown Springfield. With walking paths throughout the grounds, it was an ideal place to stay. 

Whether you are an architecture/history buff or not...Thanks for sharing this trip!

Kentucky: Shaker Village, Berea & Cumberland Falls

I recently enjoyed a Road Scholar trip down into central Kentucky. 

There are 3 parts to the trip I would like to share with you, starting out at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, KY.

The Shaker's history began in England in the late 1700's. One of many different groups of radical religious dissenters, the Shakers left England and arrived in America in 1774. They initially settled in New York but over the years spread across New England and then west into Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, becoming America's best known and largest communal society.

In 1805 a group of Shakers came to central Kentucky and established a village they called Pleasant Hill. Persons who joined the Shakers did so by signing a Covenant agreeing to live in community with the goal of spiritual and personal development. The goal for the community on earth was that it reflect "Heaven" as they understood it. Each Covenant member signed over all property rights and contributed what they had to the union of the group. Each persons skills, talents and abilities were given to work for the survival of the community. 

The Shaker architecture reflects their understanding of relationships and their practice. Each person was considered a member of a spiritual "family" of brothers and sisters. Each covenant member agreed to refrain from marriage and live a celibate life.  All DWELLING houses include double door ways and stairways, one for the brothers and one for the sisters. The central unit was the community rather than the individual family.

The work ethic of the Shakers was formed from the idea that work is a form of worship and quality work reflected on the community as a whole. 

"Hearts to God, then, hands to work"

Simplicity, order and functionality are the values reflected in Shaker products.

"The peculiar grace of a Shaker chair is due to the fact that it was made by someone capable of believing that an angel might come and sit on it".   

Thomas Merton

The MEETING House

 Music was an important part of Shaker life, with the community performing songs, hymns and anthems written by both men and women.

Tis the gift to be simple, Tis the gift to be free...

The Shakers thrived economically as their beliefs and practices developed. By the 1820's their numbers at Pleasant Hill had grown to nearly 500. Their land holdings were a significant 5000 acres and they had built over 260 structures. Their economy was strong due to the good reputation of their products. In 1853 records show they sold over 27,000 brooms. They sold garden seeds in packets and all seeds were tested to guarantee germination. They processed and sold preserves and their cattle, sheep and hogs were in demand.

We enjoyed a pleasant afternoon ride on the Kentucky River.

And just as we docked, the train crossed the impressive railroad bridge.

 

The Civil War depleted the resources of the Shaker community. They fed numerous soldiers from both the Union and Confederate sides of the war who came begging.  At Pleasant Hill the post war financial situation was difficult and they were never really able to recover. More importantly, the social environment and cultural changes in the decades after the war made Shaker life less appealing for converts. During Reconstruction and later, few new converts joined the Shakers. In particular the Industrial Revolution signaled the decline and end of the Shakers agrarian lifestyle.

For years the remaining buildings of the community were used for a variety of purposes and the area was known as Shakertown. In 1961 a group of Kentucky citizens led by Joseph Graves and Earl D. Wallace launched an effort to restore the property. By 1964 the "Friends of Pleasant Hil"l had organized and raised funds for operating expenses.  James Lowry Cogar, a Kentucky native known for his work as the curator at Colonial Williamsburg was recruited to oversee the complex preservation project.

Shaker Village today is an especially relaxing and peaceful place to visit as well as being a repository for the history, values and achievements of the Shaker community at Pleasant Hill.

AND NOW ON TO BEREA 

We traveled to Berea, KY which is the home of Berea College. The College has a unique history and is distinctive among institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1855 as the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, Berea College does not charge tuition and admits students, primarily from Appalachia, who have limited economic resources. Students who meet both academic standards as well as financial need standards work 15-20 hours a week at campus work positions in exchange for the free tuition and board. It is quite an opportunity for those who might otherwise be denied a college education. 

The college population is 1500-1600 students with a campus to match the size of the student body. It was a delightful place to set out for a walk.

Our time in Berea was spent learning about Appalachian history, culture, music and literature from a group of very engaging and informative presenters. The notable thing about Berea is the friendly and polite students and local citizens. They really know how to make you feel welcome. It must be that "Southern hospitality".

We stayed at the historic Boone Tavern Hotel. It was built when the wife of an early college president felt there was a need for lodging for visitors to the campus. Over the years those visitors have included Eleanor Roosevelt and the Dalai Lama.

 
One of the most enjoyable activities we went to in Berea was the Thursday night "Jammin on the Porch" event. It takes place in Old Town Berea near the restored train depot. We enjoyed some Appalachian music and some good photo opps!

I bid my Road Scholar friends goodbye and made a trip further south to Cumberland Falls before heading back to Indiana

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Cumberland Falls is reputed to be the largest east of the Mississippi River and south of Niagara Falls.

It is 125 feet across.

Yep, it is a rainbow!

Thanks for sharing my trip!