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The two RV Gypsies, Lee and
Karen Duquette, went to Lebanon, Indiana to visit their friends, The
Dickersons, that they met ages ago when they were all in the Military
and stationed in Hawaii. They parked their RV in their friends driveway
for two days. Then their friends drove them to downtown Indianapolis
and they did a bit of sight-seeing, then kayaked in the middle of the
city. |
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Indianapolis
is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion
County. Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana, second largest
in the American Midwest, and 14th largest in the U.S. Residents of the
city are referred to as "Indianapolitans."
Indianapolis has a diverse economy, relying on trade, transportation,
and utilities, professional and business services, education and health
services, government, retail trade, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing.
Three Fortune 500 companies are based in the city.
Indianapolis was founded in 1821 on the White River as a planned city
for the new seat of Indiana's state government. Nicknamed the Crossroads
of America, Indianapolis is the junction for four Interstate highways,
six U.S. highways, and three state roads. Indianapolis International
Airport is a major international hub, ranking as the 23rd busiest airport
in the world by cargo traffic in 2014. |
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At the very center of Indianapolis is the "State Soldiers'
and Sailors' Monument" (1902), designed by Bruno Schmitz
(1858-1916), Germany's foremost architect of national monuments.
Completed in 1901, the monument appears to be Schmitz's only commission
outside of Germany and Switzerland. Most of the bronze and stone
sculptures on the monument were designed, executed and manufactured
by Germans. The limestone sculptures are the work of Vienna-born
sculptor Rudolf Schwarz (1866-1912). The bronze Army Astragal
sculptural band above the monument base was designed by Nicolaus
Geiger (1849-1897) of Berlin. The Astragal and the eight candelabra
were manufactured in Berlin.
The State Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was dedicated in 1902
to Indiana's heroes who died in wars before World War I. Erected
as a memorial to the soldiers and sailors of the War for the Union
(1861-65), it also commemorates the War with Mexico (1846-48),
Indian and British Wars (1811-12), War of the Revolution and the
capture of Vincennes from the British on February 25, 1779. The
Monument rises from a circular plaza, 342 feet in diameter, where
once stood the governor's house--but where no governor ever lived.
At the lower level of the Monument is a Civil War exhibit. |
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Below:
Outside of Frank and Katrina Basile Theater, 450 W. Ohio Street, Indianapolis,
Indiana. |
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Below: A miniature model
of the mural inside Frank and Katrina Basile Theater |
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Because they were U.S. Military
Veterans, Karen, Lee, Sharon and Terry got a private tour of the INDIANA
STATE LIBRARY located at 315 W. Ohio Street, from the Assistant Director.
The tour was wonderful and appreciated.
The Indiana State Library is responsible for:
- Developing and providing library services to state government, its
branches, its departments and its officials and employees.
- Providing for the individual citizens of the state those specialized
library services not generally appropriate, economical or available
in other libraries of the state.
- Encouraging and supporting the development of the library profession.
- Strengthening services of all types of publicly and privately supported
special, school, academic, and public libraries.
Through its history, the Indiana State Library has developed strong
collections in the fields of Indiana history and culture, Indiana state
government and United States government publications, Indiana newspapers,
genealogy and family history resources on Indiana and the eastern United
States, Braille, large print, and books on tape for the visually impaired,
library science, and American history, politics, and economics. Its
collections in these areas support research by state agency employees,
scholars, genealogists, librarians, students, Indiana residents who
are blind or physically challenged, and the general public.
History: In 1934, the Indiana State Library and Historical Building
opened to the public. To commemorate that event, a booklet was commissioned
which described the building and the various divisions and agencies
it housed. |
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Below: Marble design on the staircase |
Below: Part of the amazing ceiling |
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Below: More amazing ceiling designs |
Below: A chandelier |
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Project 9/11 Indianapolis was
begun early in 2010 as a grass roots effort to establish a permanent
memorial dedicated to those killed in the September 11 attacks. Greg
Hess, a firefighter paramedic with the Indianapolis Fire Department,
was the primary lead of the initiative. In 2001, Hess was a member of
Indiana Task Force 1 (INTF-1), one of the first FEMA Search and Rescue
teams to arrive at Ground Zero. INTF-1 spent 8 days in New York assisting
the local agencies in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Project 9/11 Indianapolis is located at 421 West Ohio Street, next
to Indianapolis Fire Station 13 along the Indiana Central Canal. The
focal point of the memorial consists of two 11,000-pound beams from
the Twin Towers. Behind the beams stand a pair of six-foot tall black
granite walls inscribed with remembrances of the events in New York
City; Washington, D.C.; and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Perched atop
one of the beams is a bronze, life-size sculpture of an American bald
eagle, with wings outstretched and gazing east toward New York City.
In 2010, Hess petitioned the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
to obtain the steel beams from Hangar 17 & 18 (an 80,000-square-foot
hangar that houses all the artifacts recovered from the World Trade
Center) at JFK Airport. In order to bring the beams from New York to
Indianapolis, Hess contacted Sodrel Trucking to donate the use of a
semi-truck and had it emblazoned with a custom vehicle wrap, created
and donated by Dream Street Graphics. Over 11,000 bikers escorted the
9/11 semi-truck carrying the memorial beams to Indianapolis, a procession
that was estimated at over 47 miles in length. |
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Below: The focal point of
the memorial consists of two 11,000-pound beams from the Twin Towers.
Perched atop one of the beams is a bronze, life-size sculpture of an
American bald eagle, with wings outstretched and gazing east toward
New York City. |
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Now
that you have seen Project 9/11 Indianapolis above,