 Frank M. Hohenberger, photographer, began his 82nd year far too busy even to consider retirement. Hohenberger, spent 40 years in Nashville turning out from his one-man studio photographs and writings that depict the picturesque countryside and those who live there. "I've devoted most of my life to this work," Hohenberger said, "and I wouldn't be happy doing anything else. So how could I consider retirement?"
In June, 1923, he wrote his first column for The Indianapolis Star titled, "Down in the Hills O'Brown County." Jos war,. good-natured writings about the folksy ways of Brown County citizens were a regular feature of The Star for more than 30 years,. In 1952 he wrote a book under the same name with an authoritative history of the area. Hohenberger worked in the composing room of The Star for several years before the passion for making good photographs got the best of him and he departed for Brown County and national fame. Born near Defiance, Ohio, he became an orphan when 5 years old and was reared by his grandparents. After an apprenticeship in the printing trade, Hohenberger came to Indianapolis where he obtained a job on the old Sentinel. While dreaming of a career as a photographer, he spent the next several years working for newspapers at Dayton, Ohio and Louisville, KY. He returned to Indianapolis after the turn of the century and went to work for The Star. It wasn't long, however, before he cleaned his hands of printer's ink for the last time and announced he was leaving for Brown County to start in business. "My associates told me I'd be back soon, but they were wrong," he said. He was never to return to a print shop although he was still a member of International Typographical Union 1. Hohenberger believes his picture of "The Liars' Bench" is the most famous of any he has taken, and that includes thousands. The photograph was made in the courthouse yard at Nashville in 1923. The bench was said to be the meeting place for the best storytellers in the country.
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Notes on a Conversation with a really "Old Settler"
By Steve Arnold Don Ford in Hamblen Township, Brown County, Indiana FOLKLORE OR LEGEND????
Pinehearst, on Three Notch Road in Brown County, Indiana,at one time was a stage coach stop. It had rooms, and supplied meals to the passengers that were traveling the Three Notch Trail, which extended from what is now the South Bend, Indiana area to the Ohio River near Tell City. One of the tales of this stage coach stop is that a man was murdered in one of the rooms upstairs, and when he tried to get out of the upstairs windows, his hands were bloody from his wounds, and there is still his bloody hand prints on the window sill and the north side of the building. The original building still stands and has been restored to a more modern condition. It was said that this murder was done by a local person, that found his wife with one of the travelers. Others say that it was a murder of a bandit that tried to get away after stealing the wallet (poke) of a traveler. Some said it must have been the White Hats, as the keeper of the Inn had beaten his wife, and the murdered man was the Inn Keeper. This was disclaimed by the old timers, as the White Hats had never been known to kill anyone. It said that when the family and visitors are here at this location, a ghost sits at the top of the stairs and watches those below. Another tale pertaining to this murder was that the first person to be embalmed in Brown County was the murdered man. The embalmer brought his chemicals to this location. In order for the chemicals to work, they were heated over a fire. The custom of the time was to sit up with the body, until it was buried. The men became intoxicated, and overturned the chemicals, which burned along with the body. This scared the local men, and they departed. They say that the ghost is the murdered man looking for his body.  Amanda Mathis is a local artist using ideas that come from the rural Brown County area where she lives, but she also pulls ideas from her memory and imagination and adds a touch of humor and whimsy. Amanda's work style has been labeled "primitive." She has painted in this style since she was very young. "I am pleased that I have kept the 'childlike' qualities that are so greatly sought after in the art world," she says. Amanda feels an Indiana scene can speak to someone from Maine to the south and beyond. Amanda says, "My paintings reflect a rich Indiana heritage that has so encompassed my life experiences. Amanda paints on canvas and paper, using mainly acrylic and some inks ranging in size from very tiny miniatures to murals. Her paintings do not use facial features on the humans and animals so that viewers are able to impose their own ideas as to the feelings and emotions of her subjects.
Amanda travels the U.S., exhibiting her paintings in art fairs and galleries. Her works hang in private collections in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, England and Spain.Amanda loves to share her talents with young people. Over the years, she has developed and taught numerous workshops and classes for children and teens, and has done volunteer workshops with the local teen center. More information about Amanda and her work can be found at www.AmandaMathisArt.com or at www.BrownCountyStudioTour.com . Did you know: People come from all over the world to visit Bean Blossom, Indiana and the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival held every year in June.
What is it all about? Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe, Brown County Jamboree, Bill Monroe's Annual Bluegrass Festival? Peaceful Valley Heritage and Preservation set out to find an answer to who comes to Bean Blossom, Indiana and what brings them to this tiny community that once was. We were seeking a man that had an answer, his answer, he is retired from Indiana State Police and a retired law professor: introducing Jim Peva Some pickers and fiddlers come for small jam sessions found throughout the grounds. They arrange their vacations around the festival year after year. They come to connect with old friends and make new ones. Your welcome so join right in... They come from Sweden
Did you know - The unusual looking log building in the Brown County Historical Society's Pioneer Village is often called the dog trot building or the community building. The Community Building was originally located in Jackson County. It was said the building was used as a stage station on the old Michigan Road. When it was purchased in 1934 for removal to Brown County it was being used as an ordinary barn. According to a history of the building, the end rooms were likely used as the owners home and also a tap room while the large room above was where travelers rested on their journeys. The cost of purchasing the building was bourne by the Community Club of Brown County. Workers from the WPA dismantled, transported, and reconstructed the building. Smaller timbers that had deteriorated were replaced by beams taken from two old Brown County cabins of the same age. The building and grounds were deeded to the county commissioners in 1960. By agreement at that time, the building would always be available for civic use without charge or restrictions. - Steve Arnold
Did you know that Charles Hollis Taylor, better known as Chuck Taylor, was born in Van Buren Township on June 24, 1901. Chuck is best known for his association with Converse in producing, improving, and selling Chuck Taylor All- Star sneakers. The athletic shoes are the best selling basketball sneaker in American history. -Steve Arnold Did you know some important U.S. politicians knew and commented about Brown County's scenic beauty. In 1934 First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Nashville instead of Indianapolis. While here she and a companion visited the Brown County Art Gallery and purchased two paintings by James Topping. While campaigning for U.S. president in 1952, Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson, speaking to an audience in Evansville, Stevenson said that he'd rather be in Brown County, where he would "like to sit in the autumn sun and look across the scenic hills for about two weeks." Of course the two politicians went in different directions later in their lives. Mrs. Roosevelt shepherded the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the UN while Governor Stevenson lost the presidency to Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956 before becoming Ambassador to the United Nations. Did you know that people come
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