Tuesday, November 6, 2018

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County - Part Two

The Travel Blog
Beautiful Martin County, Indiana
A Tour Through Scenic Martin County - Part Two
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by Carolyn Ann Howard

Going through Loogootee, Indiana, the traveler goes down US 50. In the city limits, this street is Broadway. This stretch of road is also one of Indiana's Historic Pathways. And what a gorgeous drive it is. For our tour today, we start in Loogootee, Indiana. We're going to go past McDonald's on one side and Marathon on the other. So if you need gas or food, you might want to fill up here before continuing on US 150. Go slowly, we're getting ready to turn right.

The historic St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is just a few blocks down, on the left. We're going to turn right, which is S. Kentucky Avenue. It is also where Indiana 550 parts ways with the United States Highways. We're going to travel about 9 miles down Indiana 550. Beautiful homes on this stretch of road. Beautiful farmland. If you pass a car on your way, be sure to wave. Martin County is one of the friendliest places in the world, and it's the habit of many to wave when they pass you on a rural roadway.

Indiana 550 has many twists and turns in it, so don't drive too fast. Besides, you don't want to miss any of the gorgeous countryside. When you pass over the East Fork of White River, you're almost there! But where? Hindostan Falls! Click on photos to enlarge

Hindostan Falls, low water
Photo credit: David Kurvach

Hindostan Falls
Courtesy of Marie Hawkins

Hindostan was a town first settled somewhere around 1818 with a population of around 1,200. When Martin County was carved out from Daviess County in 1820, Hindostan became the county seat. That same year, an epidemic ran through the community, killing many of the town's inhabitants, as well as a financial crises occurring after The Panic of 1819. Those not devastated with illness were devastated financially. By 1828, most of the town had been abandoned, and the county seat was moved to Mt. Pleasant.

The signs will point the way, for you'll need to turn off Indiana 550 onto County Road 55. A historical marker telling the story of Hindostan is on the corner of that junction. Just a few more minutes, and you're at Hindostan Falls! You might want to put your rubber boots on in order to explore, but be careful! The rocks there can be slippery.

Some people think the area is haunted. As someone sensitive to spirits, I have not felt any of the eeriness some people feel when they visit the ghost town. All I see is the beauty of Martin County!

Hindostan Falls is breathtaking. It is worthy of your visit while sightseeing through Martin County. 
A Tour Through Historic Martin County - Part One
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Some of the information for this article came from Wikipedia as well as the web page "Visit Martin County, Indiana."

Photo credit: By David Kurvach [CC BY-SA 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

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