Washington County: A Great Place to Live, Work and Play
Mark Your Calendars for Christmas Magic in Salem
Please Note: Santa will be accepting food items for the Washington County Food Bank
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2024 Pumpkin Walk
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Introducing Hellbenders into Blue River
Community members join the leaders of the Purdue University's Help the Hellbender Project for a 'soft release' of Hellbender salamanders into the Blue River. The hellbender, also known as the hellbender salamander, is a species of aquatic giant salamander endemic to the eastern and central United States. It is the largest salamander in North America. The oxygen rich waters of the Blue River support some of the only populations of hellbenders in Indiana.
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The Journey of the Blue River
Join Historical Society of Harrison County, Indiana President Karen Schwartz as she embarks on a meandering voyage down Blue River, from its beginnings along the forks in Washington County, through Harrison and Crawford Counties, until it pours into the Ohio River near Leavenworth.
Along the way, in addition to the natural beauty of Blue River, you'll learn about Blue River as we pass the towns of Salem, Pekin, Milltown, White Cloud, and Wyandotte. You'll also see mill sites, churches, bridges and much more.
This video was made possible through Arts Project Support grant funding from the Indiana Arts Commission, matched by the Harrison County Community Foundation.
For more information about Journey Along Blue River or the Historical Society of Harrison County contact President Karen Schwartz @
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Campbellsburg Country Festival Kick Off Event - July 20th
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194th Pekin 4th of July Festival
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Washington County Garden Tour - June 29th & 30th
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Salem Trailhead Boxcar Restoration Project
Radius Indiana received a $25,000 matching grant to restore an original L&N 40 boxcar as part of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s (IHCDA) CreatINg Places program. Over 90 donors contributed $25,000 for the boxcar through the Patronicity online crowd-funding platform, which enabled the project to receive the grant funds that will be used for the restoration of the new Salem Monon South trailhead landmark.
Radius will repurpose the boxcar for the community’s use at the Salem trailhead on the Monon South Trail and restore it to its original appearance. The downtown Salem trailhead will be located just two blocks from the Salem Courthouse Square and will provide a welcoming location for both local residents and trail visitors to enjoy downtown Salem’s attractions.
“This boxcar will become a local landmark for trail users as they visit Salem in the coming years,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “We look forward to providing this unique, attractive memorial to mark the importance of the railroad in Salem history.”
The next step in the rehabilitation of the L&N 40 boxcar at our Salem trailhead site will be sandblasting of the boxcar. It will be occuring during June 2024 to remove the dirt, rust, old paint,and other elements from the exterior of the boxcar. Because the sandblasting exposes the bare steel of the boxcar's structure to Indiana's typically humid environment, it is important to schedule sandblasting at a time of relatively low humidity, which prevents new corrosion from quickly forming on the exposed steel Shortly after a portion of the boxcar is sandblasted, a contractor will apply primer to the metal to seal the metal and prevent erosion.
The icon of the Salem Trailhead will begin to put on its new set of clothes!
We want to thank the many partners who contributed to this project and made it possible - the Washington County Community Foundation, Washington County Tourism, Cook Group, IHCDA's CreatINg Places program, Patronicity, the Knobstone Trail Hiking Association, dozens of individual donors, and more.
For updates on the boxcar restoration and the Monon South Trail Project, please visit www.mononsouth.com and follow Monon South Trail on Facebook.
Renovations are expected to be completed in 2024 and more information about a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be available in the future.
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Piecemakers Quilt Guild 41st Annual Quilt Show
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Total Solar Eclipse - Coming to Washington County Indiana
It took some planning but your local Tourism Commission has arranged for a total Solar Eclipse over Washington County!
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. Washington County Indiana is located directly in the path of totality of the solar eclipse. The path of totality offers the best viewing opportunities to experience the eclipse.
Our historic community has a variety of family friendly events scheduled throughout the weekend to celebrate this once in a lifetime celestial event. From an outdoor movie in an amphitheatre, to S'mores and a Weenie roast in our Pioneer Village, to picnics, wine sips, and a special educational presentation by Astrophysicist Dr. David Vesper.
But don't worry if you miss this total Solar Eclipse.... the next one in North America will be on August 23, 2044.
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33rd Annual LM Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival
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Black History in Washington County - Lunch and Learn Event
On February 10th, 2024 the Washington County Historical Society welcomed local attorney and historian Drew Wright. Mr. Wright's Black History presentation entitled "Once in Canaan" detaled the early role of Aftrican Americans located in an area near Beck's Mill named Canaan and other African American settlements throughout the county. A large crowd enjoyed the lunch and learn event and learned a great deal thanks to Mr. Wright's presentation.
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Lunch & Dinner Help
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Wishing you a Happy New Year
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Christmas Magic in Salem 2023
A special thank you to everyone that volunteered and came out to celebrate Christmas Magic in Salem!
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Shop Local, Shop Washington County Indiana
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Indiana Landmarks Acquires Rare Barber-Designed Historic Home
Nonprofit is stabilizing the house before looking for a preservation-minded buyer
Indiana Landmarks has acquired a nineteenth-century home with ties to storied architect George F. Barber from the Town of Campbellsburg, where the home is located.
The nonprofit organization will rehabilitate the exterior including a new roof, siding and carpentry repairs, structural repairs, gutter work, painting and more. Interior work will include kitchen and bath upgrades and repair to trim and finishes. The organization will also relocate a smoke house on the property.
The home, half-acre lot, and four historic outbuildings had been on the market for two years, but when no buyer surfaced, Indiana Landmarks bought the home for $30,000 and plans to invest $195,000 in rehabbing the architecturally significant property. The Washington County Community Foundation is supporting the project with a $5,000 grant to Indiana Landmarks.
Once repairs are complete, Indiana Landmarks expects to offer the home for sale next summer, seeking a buyer who will finish the restoration and return the home to its former glory.
Built in 1858 by John T. C. Wilkins, who established the grist mill around which Campbellsburg grew, the home was renovated and expanded in the 1890s using details published by George F. Barber, a Tennessee architect who sold his designs through mail-order catalogs.
Known for his ornate Queen Anne style, Barber designed homes with turrets, gingerbread trim, balconies, porches, projecting windows and arches. With their exuberant “more is more” architectural aesthetic, Barber-designed homes have captured an enthusiastic following, including at least one Facebook group.
The designs apparently were quite popular with the Wilkins family, who built three other Barber homes in Campbellsburg, which is located approximately an hour’s drive north of Louisville, Ky. Today the group of four surviving houses constitutes a rare concentration of Barber homes connected to a single family in a small town, attracting the interest of Barber aficionados around the country. While three of the houses have been maintained, the Wilkins House has been neglected for decades, leaving it in a state of serious disrepair.
“Sometimes, Landmarks needs to step in and do some of the heavy lifting on a rehabilitation project,” said Greg Sekula, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Southern Regional Office. “Starting the rehabilitation can help buyers see the potential of places that might otherwise look too overwhelming. I’m confident we’ll get this property back on track and into the hands of someone who will be a great steward of it in the future.”
This Old House magazine featured the house in Spring 2023
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