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