Contents
Contributors
Contents
12 HISTORY MYSTERY 13 SUBSCRIBE
16 Aquatic Center at the Lodge ~ by Chrissy Alspaugh
24 Hill Folk Music Series ~ by Boris Ladwig
30 Musings: July 1929 ~ by Mark Blackwell
34 Doc Tilton House ~ by Julia Pearson
38-39 Photos by Mike Briner * 40-42 CALENDAR
44 Brown County Public Library ~ by Bob Gustin
52 The Toy Chest Moved ~ by Paige Langenderfer
56 Field Notes: Bird Sounds ~ by Jim Eagleman
62 Miller’ s Ice Cream House ~ by Jeff Tryon
68-70 INFO PAGES
Cover: Dane Alspaugh Abe Martin Lodge Acquatic Center ~ by Chrissy Alspaugh
Jeff Tryon is a former news editor of The Brown County Democrat, and a former region reporter for The Republic. Born and raised in Brown County, he currently lives with his wife, Sue, in a log cabin on the edge of Brown County State Park. He is a
Baptist minister.
Joe Lee is an illustrator and writer. He is the author of Forgiveness: The Eva Kor Story, The History of Clowns for Beginners, and Dante for Beginners. He is an editorial cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald Times, a graduate of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Clown College, and a veteran circus performer.
Contributors
Chrissy Alspaugh is a freelance writer and owner of Christina Alspaugh Photography. View her work at < ChristinaAlspaughPhotography. com >. She lives in Bartholomew County with her husband Matt and three boys.
Jim Eagleman is a 40-year veteran naturalist with the IN DNR. In retirement, he is now a consultant. His program“ Nature Ramblings” can be heard on WFHB radio, the Brown County Hour. He serves on the Sycamore Land Trust board. He enjoys reading, hiking, music, and birding. Jim and his wife Kay have lived here for more than 40 years.
Mark Blackwell no longer makes his home in Brown County where“ the roadway is rough and the slopes are seamed with ravines” He now resides within sight of the sixth green of an undisclosed golf course. He was born in the middle of the last century and still spends considerable time there.
Julia Pearson wrote for a Franciscan magazine for ten years and served as its human interest editor. She now resides in Lake Woebegone Country for life’ s continuing adventures. Julia enjoys traveling and visiting museums of all types and sizes, with her children and grandchildren.
Paige Langenderfer is a freelance writer and consultant. She earned her bachelor’ s degree in journalism from Indiana University and her master’ s degree in public relations management from IUPUI. Paige lives in Columbus with her husband and daughters.
Bob Gustin worked as a reporter, photographer, managing editor, and editor for daily newspapers in Colorado, Nebraska, and Indiana before retiring in 2011. He and his wife, Chris, operate Homestead Weaving Studio. She does the weaving while he gives studio tours, builds small looms, and expands his book and record collections.
ourbrowncounty. com ourbrown @ bluemarble. net
Also online at issuu. com / ourbrowncounty and on Facebook OUR BROWN COUNTY
Boris Ladwig is a Columbusbased journalist who has worked in print, online and TV media in Indiana and Kentucky and has won awards for features, news, business, non-deadline news, First Amendment / community affairs and investigative reporting.
Cindy Steele is the publisher and editor of this magazine. She sells and designs ads, sometimes writes, takes photos, and creates the layout. For fun, she likes to play the guitar or banjo and sing.
P. O. Box 157 Helmsburg, IN 47435( 812) 988-8807
copyright 2023
* Mike Briner is a Columbus native who became interested in photography as a high school yearbook photographer. With a love of travel and the great outdoors and inspired by the natural beauty of nature, Mike’ s photography quickly moved from the school to the out of doors. In 1998 he founded Mike Briner Photography and started his professional career as a travel and nature photographer. Mike now has well over 55,000 film as well as over 30,000 digital images in his library.
Thanks, Mom, for making it happen!
10 Our Brown County • July / August 2023