I love auto-related nostalgia. Not so much the cars, but the roadside kinda stuff. I know of two remarkable, super-early auto garages and they are both in Elkhart County and both constructed in 1917. The first is in Goshen's downtown, along the old Lincoln Highway. Although someone screwed up the left bay, the building is still no less remarkable and designed in the Art Neuvo style. Can you find the date in the photo above?
The other is in Wakarusa, not too far down the road. Stylistically it is more reserved, but maintains more architectural integrity than Goshen's garage. I speculate they were constructed by the same builder. 1917....so, what, would maybe one out of every thirty families have a car?
Speaking of Wakarusa. Ask anyone in Northern Indiana where to get giant jellybeans and they'll say, "why, the Wakarusa Dime Store, of course!" For a tiny town dime store, I have to hand it to the promotional minds at the Wakarusa Dime Store. They found their niche, kept promoting the same message and reaped huge rewards. I mean, com'on, I live more than 30 minutes away and we make special trips just to buy jellybeans. Say it with me now, "you've got to be kidding me...that's not a jellybean! THAT'S a jellybean! Wakarusa Dime Store. Wakarusa."
And then there is the opposite of having a good marketing campaign. I think if the idea is to NOT celebrate this rather unremarkable location, then I think the folks in Marshall County are doing a splendid job. I wonder if many of them even know this marker exists. I've driven past it probably a thousand times and only recently it caught my attention. OK, Marshall County readers, can you identify where this historic marker is located? It's only been there for 70 years, although the pine tree referenced is long past gone.
6 comments:
You gotta push through the times when you're not inspired. It's like those times weightlifting when you make yourself go to the gym when you don't really want to.
Dig the garages bigtime.
This is why the gym is three feet from the home shower, which is three feet from the breakfast table, which is three feet from the coffee pot, which is three feet from my office. It's a very small house.
I know what 'block' feels like vis a vis maintaining blog. You've done a good job of keeping your content interesting. You've a good eye for the architecturally interesting. Well, I guess that is what you do, isn't it?
How many times, I ask myself, have I passed that building in Goshen without noticing it?
You're killin' me, man! OK, I give. Where is the Marshall County marker located?
this is Birdman, is this rock located south of Plymouth on Michigan Road in the vacinity of the RRRRRRacetrack?
Birdman is close...but not a winner. Ish-now you've got your clue.
Vanilla-Goshen's got a great downtown...but I had never noticed this little gem either until last fall.
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