Walnut Grove School

Until 1971, grade school students living in southern Madison Township (Morgan County, Indiana) attended Walnut Grove School, which was located on North Kitchen Road about a half-mile north of the Five Points intersection on State Road 144.  (Madison Township grade schoolers living further north attended North Madison Elementary School on East Hadley Road.)

Cover of Commemorative Booklet, Walnut Grove Memories (1971),

showing Walnut Grove School

 

Map from Walnut Grove Memories (1971)

 

Late 1970s photo of Walnut Grove Building

(courtesy of Becky Hardin, Morgan County Historian [1980s])
 

Walnut Grove was built in the Fall of 1921.  The first principal was C. L. Fix.  The general contractor was Jake Mann, who also constructed many buildings in and around Mooresville, including several downtown that still stand today.

On April 24, 1971, current and former students, faculty, staff, and their families held a reunion at the school.  A commemorative booklet was printed, which provides a detailed history of the school.  You may read a digitized copy online.

A Tale of Two Simons

Longtime Mooresville resident, renowned painter and Indiana State Banner designer Paul Hadley painted a watercolor rendering of Simon Moon's cabin, which now hangs along with other Paul Hadley paintings at Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library.

"Simon Moon's Cabin," by Paul Hadley

(click photos to enlarge)

 

It should be a simple matter to learn more about Simon Moon, whose cabin was commemorated in Hadley's watercolor.  But you'll find a convoluted historical trail that has confused researchers for decades.  That's because there were TWO Simon Moons associated with our local and regional history.

Simon Moon (1786-1879) was a Quaker (Society of Friends) who, during the 1830's, settled land in Morgan County, Indiana (first in Gregg Township, then in Brown Township). He lived near Long Ridge, a few miles southwest of Mooresville.  "Our" Simon Moon (let's call him the "Bethel" Simon Moon for sake of comparison) is often mistaken for a relative, also named Simon Moon (1784-1835), who, on May 6, 1834, founded the town (now city) of Westfield, Indiana (in Hamilton County, north of Indianapolis), along with fellow Friends Asa Bales (Mooresville's first postmaster in 1826) and Ambrose Osborne.  All had relocated to Indiana from North Carolina.  We know that the "Westfield" Simon Moon was married to Hannah (Stout) Moon (1789-1844), and both are buried in the Old Friends Cemetery Park in Westfield, while the "Bethel" Simon Moon and his wife, Lydia Moon, are both buried in the Bethel Friends cemetery (see grave markers).  This has confused historians for many years, since the "Westfield" Simon Moon had once lived with Asa Bales in Mooresville before moving to Hamilton County.

Confusing one Simon with another was not uncommon in the 19th century.  Quakers habitually named offspring with identical Biblical names, so within an extended family tree, there could be many Daniels, Simons, Sauls, etc., all with the same surname and, perhaps, no distinguishing middle names.  Muddying the waters further was a Quaker practice (common during the early 19th century and earlier) of not marking grave sites with named headstones.

Both Simons knew each other.  It was a smaller world back then.  Many of these settlers met one another at religious gatherings or in the ordinary course of social visits or business.  These regular (sometimes everyday) interactions mix-up the historical records when one is searching for a particular person, only to discover another individual with an identical moniker who frequented the same geographical areas.

How can we sort out the two Simons?  Thankfully, Richard L. Moon, the "Bethel" Simon's fourth great-grandson, has written a short book explaining the differences between him (i.e., the "Bethel" Simon) and the "Westfield" Simon.  Richard's book presents the evidence persuasively and compellingly, showing land ownership, deeds, maps, Friends meeting records, family trees, and other documentation that clearly indicate two separate individuals who happened to share the same name.

 

Click image (above) to read a digital

copy of Richard L. Moon's book

(in PDF format)

 

Besides being available (free-of-charge) as a digital (PDF) book that you may access online, a printed copy of the book may be checked-out from Mooresville Public Library's Evergreen Indiana (E.I.) catalog, if you have an E.I. library card.

Morgan County "History Buff"alo Returns

 You can't celebrate Morgan County's Bicentennial (1822-2022) without Brutus.

 MPL's Ms. Catherine with Brutus (August 12, 2022)

(CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

 

Brutus, the official Morgan County (Indiana) Bicentennial Bison, is visiting Mooresville Public Library (MPL) during the month of August, 2022.  Get to know the big fella.  We have a bunch of photos.

 "Whoa, Big Fella!"

MPL Executive Director Diane Huerkamp & Morgan County Historian Don Adams coax Brutus to graze in the Grand Hall Directors' Alcove

 

Say, Brutus, did you make that carpet stain?  Bad bison!

   Heading East & West Across the Hoosier Plains

Let's take a peek at those signs, shall we?

What's Brutus' neck tag say?

 

More close-ups?  Sure!

"How ya doin' out there?"

"Wouldn't mind some grass or hay.  Just saying."

 

There's one more REALLY IMPORTANT sign:

 

Does Brutus look familiar?  If you happened to drop by the Library during the 2016 Indiana Bicentennial celebration, you might have seen Brutus wearing different colored fur.  We blogged about his 2016 visit (click here), and Cauli Le Chat, MPL feline roving reporter (2010-2019), also talked about it (click here).

Brutus in 2016 during the Indiana Bicentennial Celebration

Brutus welcomes photo ops, so stop by and take some "selfies" with Morgan County's official Bicentennial Bison.  Just don't climb on or touch him.  He's a friendly dude, but we don't want to get him riled up.  Stampedes we don't need inside the Library.

Cataract Falls (Following Paul Hadley's Footsteps)

On July 4, 2014, we travelled to Cataract Falls State Recreation Area on Mill Creek, in northern Owen County, Indiana (just south of Cloverdale).  The falls are just upstream of Cagles Mill Lake (Lieber State Recreation Area).

Click Images to Bigify

Click Map to See Original

We were retracing Paul Hadley's footsteps as we explored the places he painted roughly a century ago.  Our first stop was the upper falls, followed (wait for it . . .) by the lower falls.  Mr. Hadley captured both of these in watercolor, which are on display at Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library.

 Cataract Falls (Upper Falls)

by Paul Hadley

 Cataract Falls (Lower Falls)

by Paul Hadley

Although our photos are nowhere near as breathtaking as Mr. Hadley's paintings, let's compare them, just for fun.

 Cataract Falls (Upper Falls)

Cataract Falls (Lower Falls)

Mill Creek watershed looks considerably different than it did about a century ago, when Paul Hadley traversed the rugged countryside to paint the scenery.  In 1952, Cagle Hills Lake was built just downstream of the lower falls to become Indiana's first flood control reservoir.  It now comprises the Lieber State Recreation Area.

Photoshopped Cauli Le Chat at the bottom of the Upper Falls

 Looking down at the Upper Falls

 Just above the Upper Falls, looking downstream

Atop the Upper Falls, looking across stream

(We'll be over there shortly)

Owen County's last covered bridge sits immediately upstream of the Upper Falls.

 Cataract Falls Covered Bridge

  Resting a spell at the covered bridge

Picnic with a view

Looking downstream from the center

of the covered bridge

 Factoids about the covered bridge

We left the bridge to explore the river bank on the other side.  It was treacherous walking through the heavy underbrush, at least for some of us.

  Having a little difficulty blazing the trail

Who put that tree there?

 The Upper Falls from the other side

Other side downstream of the Upper Falls

On our way back to the car, we noticed an old water pump.  I don't think much water will be forthcoming any time soon.

Where's the pump handle?

Bob Dylan would tell us that "the pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles" ("Subterranean Homesick Blues" [1965]).

We next drove a short distance to the Lower Falls.

 The Lower Falls

 How'd those fishing folks get down there?

Looking downstream above the Lower Falls

  Closer to the edge than I'd be standing

 Kayaking below the Lower Falls

(Well, not immediately underneath)

 "What are they biting on?"

"The end of my fishing line"

 

It was a really cool place to visit.  I can see why Mr. Hadley chose to paint this beautiful area. You should visit, too.