The Knobs

Earlier this month, I ventured out of my usual northern and central Indiana haunts to visit the town of Georgetown in southern Indiana. The town is marked on the road map by a small circle, but that is not the shape of the town. In actuality, the town is long and skinny and situated on the side of a large hill above a railroad at the bottom of the hill.

My meeting was at the town hall in the center part of town, and I assumed I would be there momentarily when I hit the town limits. The town population is a tad over 2,200, but traveling from the town limits to downtown felt almost like a commute! The town hall, like many across the state, was once the local bank building. I drove past it initially, and thought I would just go around the block to get to the parking lot. I discovered that when a town is built on a hillside, you don’t just go around the block. I was treated to the streets of San Francisco, Indiana-style.

I have been using the term “hill,” but that is not really correct because Georgetown is built on the side of a “knob.” If you don't know what a knob is, drive to rural Floyd County near New Albany, and look up. You will then see why they are called knobs. While you are in the vicinity, drive eastbound on Interstate 64 from the Georgetown vicinity. As you approach New Albany, you will be treated to one of the most beautiful vistas in the Hoosier state. You are on a ridge looking down into the valley where the city of New Albany sits with the majestic Ohio River as a backdrop.

Grabill

The note on the roadmap said the Town of Grabill is an Amish town, a substantial understatement. But Grabill is also a railroad town; in fact, the town was founded by the Fort Wayne & Toledo Railroad as the first northbound stop after Fort Wayne. The town is also just down the road from Leo-Cedarville, the only town in Indiana with a hyphenated name. Most of the folks in that area of the state associate Grabill with good food, and the local restaurant draws its clientele from all over northeastern Indiana.

I arrived in town a few minutes prior to my meeting with the town council, giving me a chance to drive around town and check out the sights. It is apparent that Grabill appreciates its history and there are a number of interesting, older buildings in the town. One of the buildings is the Elias Ruff House, which is actually a building from a town in Pennsylvania that was disassembled and then rebuilt in downtown Grabill.

The building that took me by the most surprise though was the town hall itself. If one wants to see how creative landscaping can give a building a totally new look, make a visit to the Grabill Town Hall. My initial impression as I approached the building was that the town hall looks like a cottage, nestled in a small wood in the village. As I got closer, I realized the building was much larger than it first appeared and is perhaps a newer structure

First appearances can be deceiving. I found out later that the building was actually a barn from the estate of the town founder, Joseph Grabill. Mr. Grabill was the town founder, or one of the founders, or just the guy living in the right place at the right time, depending on whom you talk to, but that is another story for another day. The former barn has served as town hall for some time, and the latest remodeling has made the structure attractive and functional. Visit Grabill and check out their unique town hall, but make sure you also plan enough time for a meal at the Grabill Inn.
- Tom Bredeweg