Q is for Quarry and Days Forgotten

     In 1885, The J. B. Speed Company opened the Milltown Quarry in the small town located on the Blue River in southern Indiana where they manufactured some of the best limestone found.  Workers for this company were treated well, paid salaries larger than competing quarry companies and often rewarded their employees with large bonuses.

     In 1901 the J. B. Speed Company purchased land along Speed Road in Milltown, built houses and rented them to their workers at reasonable rates and opened a company store.  In 1924 the company donated land for the new school which many years later I graduated from.

     I know by now you are wondering what kind of memories  I have of a quarry that operated before and after the turn of the century, right?  Maybe you're thinking I must be a lot older than I look; really preserved well?  Not exactly.  Let me get to the point.

  

     First off, my Grandad Seacat was one of the workers at the quarry.  He is in the above picture that was taken sometime early 1900s.  My Grandad is the last one on the right in the first row.  This was my mother's dad.  Grandad Seacat is the only one of my grandparents that  I got to know very well.   The rest of my grandparents died at various times when I was younger.  Grandad Seacat was quite a character whom I   will tell you about sometime in another post.    For now we are talking about the quarry.

     In 1953 (the year I was born), the quarry closed leaving large open caverns abandoned in the hillside along the highway that by-passed Milltown.

    

     This is what it looks like today, but not the way I remember it.  Back in the day when I was a teenager the caves were still open with roads leading from the highway right into the caverns.  Some of them you could drive quite a ways into.  This was one of THE hotspots for parking, I mean exploring!  Very educational.  Of course, I don't know from experience, just hearsay.   Okay, maybe I saw the inside once.  True story.  I was on a double date, first time I'd been out with this guy.  By the time we got to the quarry we had pretty much decided we were better friends than dates so while the other couple made out in the front seat we sat and talked.  That was it.  Actually, he later ended up setting me up with one of his friends.

     Teenagers today don't have the chance to watch for bats in the caves, much to the relief of their parents, I'm sure.  Another part of local Americana gone.   And, as you can see, I really do have personal memories of the old limestone quarries that sit today as a reminder of days gone by.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

          

I is for Indiana Cave Country

      I couldn't take a trip down memory lane without including a story about the area where I grew up.  I grew up in an area of southern Indiana known as cave country.  Many caves can be found throughout the country- side, but many of them are unsafe.  Those you stay away from.  Fortunately, many of them have been explored extensively and are open to the public for guided tours.  These caves have been huge tourist attractions for a long time, evolving over the years into much more than just spelunking.  

      Within just a few miles of my hometown is Marengo Cave, Wyandotte Caves and Squire Boone Caverns.  Marengo Cave was the closest, only about 6 miles.  I only remember going through the cave once, but also remember that it was really neat.  The Crystal Cathedral  was amazing and as a child I enjoyed the gift shop.  While I was in high school they put in a swimming pool next to the cave and I understand now they have added other attractions such as mining for gold.  If you are ever in the area it would be well worth your time.

      Squire Boone Caverns didn't open up to the public until after I had moved away from the area.  I have to admit I have not been there but know it would be interesting for history buffs.  This was the homestead of Daniel Boone and he is buried in one of the small caves.  The old mill has been restored and a village with gift shops and other attractions can be found there as well as cave tours. 

      The caves I remember most are Wyandotte Caves.  As upper elementary students we took a lot of field trips to Wyandotte Caves because they were part of the Harrison County Forestry system and offered lots of educational programs.  The cave tours we took were not the ones most people want to take.  We took the educational tours where many of the passages were so narrow the only way to get through was to crawl on your stomach.   We would get dirty from head to toe and loved every minute of it.  Since we were pretty much left to explore on our own we would get in our little groups of friends and go exploring.  What fun we had!  And of course we always had to hit the gift shop taking home all sorts of rocks, wooden boxes and various trinkets.   You would have thought we had found hidden treasure!

   

      As a child I never appreciated the significance of all these caves being so close but now realize that my little area of southern Indiana is a paradise for spelunkers, history buffs and anyone who enjoys outdoor activities.  If you ever travel through the area I highly recommend you take a little time to explore a cave.

Until next time...that's my view.
Kat