Story, Indiana

One of our most memorable and restorative close-to-home getaways ever was to the south-central Indiana town of Story.

We were given a gift certificate by dear friends, or we would never have discovered this charming little town, beautifully preserved as a bed-and-breakfast in Brown County. That's right, the whole town is a bed-and-breakfast, from the General Store to the covered bridge and Treaty House, an old sawmill that has been renovated into a cottage (the structure sits on the historic Ten ‘O Clock Treaty line, named for a treaty between Governor William Henry Harrison and the Miami Indians which opened three million acres to white settlement, the boundary being a line running from Raccoon Creek on the Wabash River near Montezuma to Seymour, marked by a shadow cast at 10:00 a.m. each September 30. Today, that line is denoted by a carved limestone monument in the center of Story’s village green, right next to the Treaty House. The village green also abuts the Wheeler House, pictured below).

According to The Story Inn's website, "The village of Story itself was founded in 1851, with the grant of a land patent from President Millard Fillmore to Dr. George Story. This original land patent is on display at the Story Inn. Dr. Story was a medical doctor who hailed from a clan of timber harvesters in southern Ohio. He and his progeny built many of the structures which distinguish this town today from the then-ample supply of domestic hardwoods. His home and medical office nearby both managed to survive the forces of entropy."

The lovely Robin and I stayed in the Wilkerson House, a cottage with a queen-sized bed, full kitchen, private bedroom, covered porch, private bath with bathtub, and vaulted ceiling with a ceiling fan. I liked it most of all for the porch, which faced the General Store and had a rocking chair, where I could sit and sip coffee and read all morning. Which I did.

Wanna know how quaint and authentic Story is? One morning, while sipping coffee and reading on the porch, I heard the clip clop of horses approaching at a walk. Before long, a party of five or six horsemen tied off their horses at the rail in front of the General Store and walked into breakfast.

The meals at the General Store (breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily) were exquisite, and the General Store's creaky wooden floors, pot-bellied stove and long-retired Standard Oil Crown gas pumps out front, were fascinating. Nearby Nashville, Indiana (thirteen miles or so), offered entertainment and shopping choices. And the Brown County State Park actually encompasses Story.

If you enjoy a country pace, small town charm, great food, relaxing accommodations, and a chance to breathe in the authentic history of a place, visit Story. It is well worth it.

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