Past Churches--Independence Church

The counties oldest "past church" is the Independence Methodist Church, which is in Gillam Township on CR 375 N and CR 500E. A publication from the Historic Preservation Association of Jasper County describes it this way:

[It] is a fine example of the quickly disappearing rural churches. This gable front structure with a center steeple was built in 1873 and remains largely unaltered today. The church which is unused today is surrounded by a cemetery (c. 1844). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and is classified as outstanding by the Inventory. In the absence of a congregation, the building has been maintained by several friends but this historic rural structur4e remains in danger and is listed ont he 2007 Ten Most Endangered List.

Some pictures from a few years ago can be found here. Notice that the windows have been partially restored.
The Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana had his press release at the end of July about the building:

At one time, rural churches dotted Indiana’s landscape—multi-purpose venues for agricultural communities who gathered for worship, meetings, events, and entertainment. Today, a diminishing number of these picturesque reminders of the state’s rural heritage survive.

Jasper County’s Independence Methodist Church in Gillam Township represents the disappearing breed and the jeopardy such structures face. The 1873 National Register-listed landmark is the oldest church building in Jasper County. Though the surrounding cemetery remains in use, the church was vacated years ago. With no organization responsible for its care, the building is threatened by a leaking roof and escalating deterioration. The situation the earned the church a spot on the Jasper County Historic Preservation Association’s list of the county’s 10 Most Endangered historic structures.

The Rensselaer Republican reported on Nov 2, 2009 that Jasper County Historical Preservation Association had received a grant to replace the roof on the building.

(pictures provided)

More airport obsession

When we last left the Jasper County Airport, the runway was being painted and was due to open the next day, a Friday. On Saturday the runway was painted and open, and the landing lights were on.
There was still a lot of construction activity, but it was on the taxiway, which had a machine removing a layer of asphalt to prepare the taxiway for a new surface.

On the following Tuesday (Nov 3), the equipment was near the south end of the taxiway. A person I talk to said that they would be scraping the area in which the plane below was parked the next day, and they might be done with repaving by the end of the week. They certainly have moved fast on this project.
A while back a post suggested that the new surface for the road leading into the fairgrounds came from the Melville Street project. Now I suspect most or all of it came from the airport project. I visited the fairgrounds to see how many people were getting their H1N1 shot, and was told that I could not take pictures and if I did not want to get a shot, I had to leave. There were a lot of cars, and a lot of police officers directing traffic. It seemed a little incongruous to see so many police officers, and so much regimentation, at a medical event. (I hope everyone else gets their shots so they will not spread the flu to me. I am content to free ride.)
All the roads in the fairgrounds that did not have an asphalt surface now have a layer or two of recycled runway. There seems to have been a lot of material to dispose of.

Water and waste

Last weekend I was at an open house and got a chance to talk to the mayor, and of course I asked about various things happening around town. He said that the city was now pumping water from the new well north of town, and that the city would soon start work on a another well that will also be located north and west of Rensselaer.

For some reason, the other end of the pipeline came up. A contractor has been at work at the sewage plant doing renovations and expansion--the renovated plant will be able to handle 25% more waste water. I have not been out that way since June, so this week I made a return visit.
The plant has a sign saying that visitors need a permit, and the land outside the plant has no-trespassing signs on it. You feel unwelcome out there. Construction is continuing and there seems to be a new building that was not there in June.
Below is a better view of the building that I do not remember from past visits. Compare to the pictures here and here.
Will they have an open house to showcase the new work? Would anyone want to go if they did?

Being a mayor apparently means that you get to think a lot about water mains and sewage treatment. Is that enough for it to qualify as a dirty job?

Field Trip to Indy

On Wednesday, Oct 28 a group of students from SJC traveled to Indianapolis for a networking event. I was allowed to go with them. On the way down, we passed by the forest of windmills on I-65 west of Brookston. Some of them were rotating in the wind, which probably means that they are hooked up to the grid and supplying electricity.
This year the event was held in the Indiana State Museum. We were restricted to a very limited area because the museum was closed to regular visitors. I was able to snap a picture of the steam clock and the canal that are just outside the museum. The clock is rather interesting. You can see it in action here and here.
The canal was a commercial bust, but now is one of the main tourist draws to downtown Indianapolis. The picture below was taken several years ago. For more on the Wabash and Erie Canal, see here.
From our little area, you could see a Foucault pendulum. It is a physics experiment that shows the rotation of the earth.
You could also see a mock-up of a limestone quarry. I have never taken the time to carefully visit this museum, but it looks like it has a lot of interesting things in it.
Our reception area was at the entrance to a special exhibit. We could not go in.
One of the people I met there was a former editor of the Rensselaer Republican, Maura Giles. After graduating from SJC, Maura had spent about a year doing public relations for SJC, then moved to the Rensselaer Republican. She left that for a job in public relations in Chicago, but a year or two ago moved to Indianapolis, where she is now head of public relations for the Indianapolis Zoo. She loves her job.
Last year this reception took place at the Indianapolis Zoo. She was disappointed that we were not back at the zoo. It turns out that receptions of the sort we were having plus meetings and parties are an important source of income for the zoo and the museum. This year the downturn in the economy has caused businesses to cut back the meetings, conferences, and receptions that they are having, so the zoo feels the pinch.

Maura was quite excited about Zoo-Boo. She explained that the various departments at the zoo decorate for Halloween, and the public chooses a winner. The winner has bragging rights for the entire year. They do even more elaborate decorations for Christmas. (But if you go to see the decorations at night, you do not see much of the animals.)

After a couple of hours, it was time to come home. Everyone assembled by the bus, enjoyed a last glimpse at the skyline of Indianapolis, and then settled in for the ride home.

On the way back, I was curious to see the wind farm at night. I had heard that the red warning lights blinked in unison. They do.