Museums Part II

East Central Indiana became a center for the manufacture of glass when natural gas was discovered and became a cheap energy resource.  The Ball family moved from Buffalo, New York to Muncie to manufacture glass mason jars.  At the same time other neighboring towns also had glass factories.  Dunkirk, Indiana, 15 miles from McDowell-Nearing House, was the home of Indiana Glass Company, known for both carnival glass and depression glass.  Although Indiana Glass is no more, Dunkirk is now the home of Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc. which manufactures Budweiser bottles.  In 2009 the town hosted the famous Clydesdales.

Dunkirk is also the home of a fascinating museum, a few blocks off the main street and in an annex to the Dunkirk Public Library.  The Glass Museum is a collection of over 8,000 pieces of glass from 110 factories around the world.  It is open May through October, Tuesday through Saturday.  Volunteers make sure all the pieces stay dusted and are knowledgable about glass manufacture.

The museum is well lighted, and the collection is housed in display cases so that everything sparkles. 

This is part of a collection of  over 1500 cup plates dating from the 1800’s.

Glass crowns used to adorn the gas pumps of the Standard Oil Company

This handpainted glass dinnerware set was made in Dunkirk at the Indiana Glass Company

This glass chandelier was also made in Indiana. 

This museum’s variety interests not only the serious glass collectors, but also anyone who appreciates beautiful artwork lovingly cared for.  It’s another jewel to be seen in East Central Indiana.  We would love for you to visit!

A Tale of Roadside Historic Markers

Not long ago I saw a post on an Indianapolis travel blog about an Indiana historical roadside marker that attracted my attention.  The marker was for the gravesite of Jane Todd Crawford who died in 1842 and is buried near Graysville, Indiana.  That got me to thinking.  Mrs. Crawford is actually the subject of three of these roadside markers in three states.  So, who is this woman and why do I care?

When my father applied to medical school about 70 years ago an important part of the application process was for the applicant to write an essay telling why he or she should be selected for admission.  This was a long time before the Medical College Admission Test was a standard.  Family lore tells that a sizeable portion of my dad’s essay was a tribute to Dr. Ephraim McDowell, pioneer surgeon of Kentucky.  Dad claimed to be a relative and went to great lengths explaining that the first Dr. McDowell was his inspiration for going into medicine.  When the story was told to us younger McDowells, we were informed that Dad had no idea whether he was a relative or not, but we called him “Uncle Eph” anyway. 

Ephraim and Jane’s story is a tale of two brave pioneers.  Dr. McDowell was born in Virginia, studied medicine in Staunton, VA, and Edinburgh, Scotland.  He was one of the first physicians to move across the Appalachian mountains into Kentucky where he built an apothecary and home in Danville in 1795.

In December 1809, when Ephraim and Jane first met, surgery was still in its infancy.  Mrs. Crawford was thought to be pregnant.  Nine months came and went, and there was no baby even after midwives tried everything they could think of to induce labor.  Dr. McDowell was summoned, and after he examined her he explained that he thought her swollen belly was due to a tumor of her ovary.  This type of tumor was not uncommon, and was known to continue to grow until a slow painful death could be expected.

By Dr. McDowell’s account, published in 1817, Jane Crawford persuaded him to attempt to remove the tumor in spite of the fear of most physicians that the surgery would result in death due to infection.  Up to this time there was no general anesthesia  and the need for antisepsis was unproven.  Mrs. Crawford made the 60 mile trip on horseback to Danville where she was operated on Christmas Day, 1809.

"The Dawn of Abdominal Surgery" Wyeth Laboratories

Historians differ in opinion as to why Christmas Day was chosen for the surgery.  Dr. Owen Wangensteen, a surgical historian, contended that there was a lynch mob in the front yard waiting for her to die and her surgery was done as soon after her arrival as possible to limit the number of angry people who might be in that mob.  I like the explanation of the docents at the McDowell House better.  It was known that Dr. McDowell was a religious man and an elder in the local presbyterian church.   Christmas that year was on a Sunday, and Ephraim asked that the congregation pray for him and Jane during the operation.  He wrote a prayer on a piece of paper which he kept in his pocket during the surgery.  We are told that Mrs. Crawford sang hymns and recited Psalms during the 25 minute procedure.  Not only did Jane Crawford survive her surgery, but she lived to be 79, outliving her surgeon by 12 years.  Ephraim is thought to have died from a ruptured appendix.

It was not until the 20th Century that Ephraim McDowell’s home was reclaimed.  At the time of its purchase by the Auxiliary of the Kentucky Medical Society, the house had become a rooming house and had deteriorated significantly.  It is significant not only for the historical surgery performed there, but Dr. McDowell’s was the first apothecary west of the Appalachians.  I have made it a point to visit the McDowell House, Apothecary and Gardens through the years.  The collection of antique pharmacy jars and period antique furniture continues to get more extensive each time I visit.  To learn more, visit the McDowell House site.

In addition to the historic marker at the McDowell House Museum and Apothecary in Danville, there is also a monument on the grounds of the McDowell House to Jane Todd Crawford erected by the Kentucky Medical Society.  This monument may be the first time that a patient was honored by a group of doctors!  “Uncle Eph” is one of the two Kentuckians to have a statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol.

Photo by Dan Fisher

The third state to honor Jane Crawford is Virginia.  Amazingly, her birthplace and the birthplace of Ephraim McDowell are both near Lexington, Virginia, and are closer to each other than the 60 mile horseback ride she took in 1809.

There are two Kentucky hospitals of interest, the Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville, and the Jane Todd Crawford Memorial Hospital in Greensburg.

In conclusion to this long story, my father was accepted to medical school, in spite of his essay.  He became a surgeon.  He met my mother, an Army nurse, at the end of WWII, and had three children who all attended Indiana University School of Medicine.  My pathology professor was happy to know that I could match the particular ovarian tumor with the right story.  He was a little confused though when I claimed Uncle Eph as kin, and my brother, taking the class a few years later denied any relationship to the famous surgeon.

Muncie Museums Part I

Muncie has been home to the headquarters of the Academy of Model Aeronautics since 1992.  This organization founded in 1936 works to promote model aviation as a recognized sport as well as a recreational activity.  The AMA has chartered 2,500 local model airplane clubs and sanctions over 1,000 model flying competitions throughout the country each year.  Many modelers come to Muncie to compete in national contests each summer at their 1000 acre facility and to visit the National Model Aviation Museum.

This museum takes a fascinating look at not only the history of model aviation, but also of the history of flight itself. 

I first visited the museum along with my mother and several of her friends (none of us fit the demographic of model airplane enthusiasts) shortly after the AMA moved to Muncie. One of the curators graciously explained many of the exhibits to us that day, regaling us with tales of the feats of model airplanes on display including one that  had been flown from coast to coast.  We learned that in order for a model airplane to be on display in the museum, it must have been flown. 

My favorite is a giant scale model of a WWII B17 bomber with every detail imaginable.  Although this labor of love was definitely of museum quality on the day it was finished, there had to be the white knuckle day when the plane took to the air. Obviously this plane was constructed by a modeler who was a mechanic and a pilot as well as an artisan.

The museum has grown since our first visit nearly 10 years ago.  It is now housed in a separate building on the property, and the exhibits are accompanied by excellent signage to make the self-guided tour educational and enjoyable.

On a recent visit I was fascinated by the space shuttle exhibit.  Before the full size shuttle was constructed, scale models were built to prove that the shuttle could ride atop a 747, and that a 165,000 pound space vehicle could glide home after re-entry.  These NASA scale models are now part of the museum’s collection.

Perhaps the most amazing part of this museum is the price of admission.  Just $3.00 admits adults to the museum and to the grounds to see if any models are flying.  Youth are admitted for half price,  and children 6 and under are admitted for free.  The museum is open year round Monday through Friday: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m, closed Sundays Thanksgiving thru Easter.

A visit to the National Model Aviation Museum is well worth the drive to Muncie.  Come to visit the museum, mention this blog post and we will discount your stay at McDowell-Nearing House Bed and Breakfast 10% on weekends, 20% on weekdays from now through May 1. 2011.

Come to Indiana, Stay Awhile, Look Around: Amish Country

Indiana has the third largest Amish population in the United States. These folk predominately live in Northern Indiana, but there is also an Amish community about 30 miles from Muncie. Many vacationers find their way to Amish country to glimpse a look at the simple way of life practiced by these people. When thinking about the Amish, distinctive dress and horse and buggy come to mind.  I also think of great cooking, handmade furniture and quilts, and majestic pairs of draft horses at work in the fields.  For more about the Amish people, read my previous post.

Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana have the largest Amish communities, with the majority of Indiana’s 38,000 Amish living in Northeast Indiana, around the communities of Middlebury, Elkhart and Nappanee. 

A good way to extend your Indiana vacation is to spend a few days in the Amish country, a  2 1/2 hour drive from McDowell-Nearing House Bed and Breakfast.  One of the first stops on your visit should be the community of Shipshewana, Indiana, where you can gain a better understanding of the people of this area and their faith with a visit to the Menno-Hof Center, open all year but closed Sundays. 

Innkeeper Lori Schumacher of the Country Victorian Bed and Breakfast in Middlebury, Indiana, tells me “The Menno-Hof is my favorite place and I go there whenever friends/family come because I always learn something new.”  Lori also recommends The Blue Gate Restaurant and Theater in Shipshewana for both the theatrical productions and the food.  Nappanee, Indiana, is the home of the Round Barn Theater at Amish Acres.  The Round Barn is a professional resident reportory performing arts company that has been producing Broadway plays for over 20 years in its historical setting.

The Essenhaus in Middlebury is a large complex including a restaurant and bakery serving  Amish style food.  Locals and visitors to the Essenhaus alike enjoy the Thursday evening “cruise-ins” through the summer where classic cars are on display.  

Speaking of crusin’, The Heritage Trail winds throughout the region.  This is an auto trip that features both gardens and outdoor murals inspired by the quilt blocks seen in those handmade Amish quilts.  The flowers in the gardens are raised from seeds. The is the third season for the garden tour which combines the region’s heritage of both gardening and quilting, and is the only tour of its kind in the country.   

 

Click for larger view

If you prefer to leave the car parked, you can try out one of Indiana’s newest rail-trails, the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail.  Upon completion, this 26 mile bicycle and walking trail will connect Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury and Shipshewana.  This map shows sections that are now complete in green.

Amish Country Indiana will enrich your vacation, whether you come to see the history and culture, the handmade furniture and quilts, the theater, the trails and scenery or the Amish style cooking.  And, if you just can’t resist a flea market, Shipshewana hosts the midwest’s largest every Tuesday and Wednesday through October 27.