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Monday, September 15, 2014

A day in Elkhart

Day 2 of our vacation we woke up to this:

Pouring rain, and predictions for more of the same all day.  We hung around the hotel for a little while, but decided we'd just have to deal with it and headed out. 
We went to Elkhart and started with a tour of this home.


This is the Ruthmere mansion.  It was built in 1908 by the man who co-founded Miles Pharmaceuticals, the company that produced Bayer aspirin.  It was a beautiful place, which has been restored to it's original condition.  No pictures could be taken inside, so I'll share a few of the outside that I was able to get when the rain slowed down.




The building in back is the garage, which had 3 antique cars in it, one of which was a little electric car.  The garage was equipped with a wooden turntable, that allowed the car to be driven in, then turned so it could drive straight out again.

After this we headed down the block and toured the Havilah Beardsley house.  Havilah Beardsley was a Dr who purchased land from the Indians in 1831.  He put up several mills, and brought a railway to the area, which is now Elkhart.
He built this home in 1848 and it was the first brick home built in Elkhart.

It was added onto by his son in 1898 and is now being restored to that era.  Again, no photos could be taken inside, but we enjoyed seeing the home and admiring the beautiful old woodwork inside.  The glass in the windows in the original from 1898 and are in good condition, except for one which was shot with a BB gun by one of the children that lived there in the mid 1900's.

We then took a walking architectural tour of some of the old homes in the area.

 Here are some of the homes we saw. Many were designed by the same architect that planned the Ruthmere estate.


The rain was no longer a downpour, but enough to get us wet, so we took our umbrellas along!


We also saw this statue of Havilah Beardsley, which was erected in 1913.

When we returned to our hotel room that evening, it had finally stopped raining.  The view looks a little better!
We love history and old houses, so we enjoyed the day, in spite of the rain!

15 comments:

Terri D said...

I would have loved being along for your day of home tours! Glad the rain slowed enough for you to get out and still enjoy your day.

Unknown said...

I love the old houses too and the pictures are so pretty...rain or no rain, looks like you a good time.

Jenny said...

Rain makes everything more fun. Haaahaha raise your hand if you agree. I just love rain but not when I want to be taking pictures outside. So you did good, Maribeth. Those are some gorgeous old places. I always think of RVs when I hear the word Elkhart, because it is the RV manufacturing capital of the world. And once, in early 1981, I got a speeding ticket on the turnpike late at night while returning home from a game TG coached in Elkhart. There were two screaming infants in the car. The officer was neither moved nor amused. xoxo BTW I was born in Kokomo because my dad was stationed there briefly, at Grissom AFB. So I've got no memories of the Hoosier State until I lived there again 1974-1991.

Karen said...

I enjoyed your pictures. I love seeing old homes. That turntable in the garage sounds like a great idea!

Sola Scriptura said...

I'm glad you didn't let the rain prevent you from going out. I love history and old building too. Thanks for sharing your trip with us through your blog!

Jean said...

Those old homes are GORGEOUS!!! I would totally enjoy a day like that.

Umbrellas are good as long as they don't puncture your thumb when you're trying to collapse them. (-:

Patsy said...

Enjoyed the tour of the lovely old homes.

Kerin said...

Beautiful old homes. Lucky you, to have the chance to tour them.
A time gone by.... nice to see that they homes are still appreciated though.

Smiles :)

K.

Beth Cotell said...

Even in the rain, it all looks so beautiful!

Cherdecor said...

Those old homes are gorgeous! The rain only made it a little more fun. At least the wind wasn't blowing and there was no lightning. Just a day to sing in the rain.

I remember going through a horse stable at Valley Forge on a rainy day. The rain gave the barn a wonderful smell of hay and other stuff. Ha! Ha! I loved it! So authentic!

Hootin Anni said...

Hi Mari!!! I can see a little rain didn't stop you two from enjoying the day. Lovely home tours...I enjoyed it very much.

And to catch up with you a bit, I must say I enjoyed the Amish country post also. Loved the water wheel and the carriage going through the beautiful park-like atmosphere from you window.

I too love seeing the black Amish buggies...sometimes I envy their lifestyle.

Just A Southern Girl said...

I had no idea there were all those cool buildings in Elkhart! Our son and his wife lived there for five years (and still own a home there) but we never explored the town when we'd visit. We'll have to rectify that next time we're in the states! Looks like y'all enjoyed yourselves, in spite of the rain :)

Brooke said...

gorgeous old homes!!

Jennifer Hays said...

You made lemonade from lemons, for sure. These old houses seem very interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed the day, in spite of the rain.

Betsy Brock said...

Very fun...even in the rain! We love history and old homes, too! Thanks for taking us all along!