Posts in: Local

We’re shifting to late summer and that means the buzzing drone of annual cicadas. Nothing sounds more like summer than that.

I found out this week that my hometown has a unique piece of furniture: the Bedford pie safe. It is unique in being three panels wide instead of two. Research by the local historical society found that they were built by a cabinetmaker named John Reath (1817-1898). I’d love to see one in person!

I visited Corydon—Indiana’s original state capital—for the first time on Friday. It was the capital from the time it became a state in 1816 until Indianapolis was built (specifically for the purpose of being the capital city) in 1825.

This building housed both wings of the state legislature and the Supreme Court:

Auto-generated description: A historic stone building with white shutters, a white door, and a small cupola on the roof is adorned with a patriotic bunting above the entrance.

The Indiana constitution was debated and drafted in part under this elm, because the building was too hot in June. The tree died about a century ago and they preserved its trunk in this monument. All of Indiana’s county courts have a gavel carved from this elm and the original constitution is stored in a box made from its wood:

Auto-generated description: A tall wooden stump, encased in a brick and stone structure and accompanied by a commemorative plaque, stands prominently.

The Indiana constitution was signed on this desk:

Auto-generated description: A vintage wooden writing desk with a slanted lid, a drawer below, and two candlesticks and an inkwell on top.

I’m feeling the itch to go on another southern Indiana day-long road trip. Some previous trips:

I note with some disappointment that a few new businesses in my town are called Star City [etc]. When I was growing up, it seemed like every other business was Stone City [etc]. That was, of course, because of the local limestone industry. (We are, for good reason, the self-proclaimed Limestone Capital of the World.) The industry still exists but it is a shadow of its former self, for various reasons. Now businesses seem to be turning to the mascot of our high school for their naming. Is it a big deal? No, but it does represent a fading and forgetting.

It’s always sad and yet predictable when small towns and nonprofits are victims of fraud. And it’s almost always the same story: an understaffed entity with no internal controls. In this case, a small town in the area had $71k stolen through fraud by the clerk-treasurer. (Actually, just read the State Board of Accounts report linked at the bottom of the article. The article itself is not particularly well written.)

My point in posting this is to say that if you are involved with a small nonprofit (which are particularly vulnerable entities), please make sure there are good controls in place. If the same person is recording deposits in the software, making the deposits to the bank, and performing the bank reconciliations, the entity is exposing itself to serious risk. Even with a small staff, there can be separation of duties.

And, of course, fraud can still happen to an entity with good internal controls. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. But some basic, sound procedures would prevent most of what I’ve seen over the years.

Remember the weird post in the woods near my house? Well there’s a new development. Now there’s a fairy Barbie doll set into the ground just a few feet away.

What’s going on here? No idea, but I delight in the strangeness. And it doesn’t hurt that I’m watching X-Files right now.

Came across a guy in the woods walking his pit bull.

“Out looking for mushrooms?”, he asks.

“A little, but I’m mostly looking for wildflowers. They’re so beautiful this time of year.”

“Hell yeah they are!”

I did not expect that response but a guy who will “hell yeah” wildflowers is my kind of guy.