wildflowers- Spring Beauties, Red Trillium, Dutchman's Britches, Woodland Flox, Wild Leek, 'Yellow' Violets, and Jack in the Pulpit.
trees- Shagbark Hickory, Oak, Ohio Buckeye, Osage Orange (Hedge Apple)
Then, a 32-mile (one way 😏) drive through the countryside to a wild and wooly tavern within a small 'village' or collection of homes in Buckhart. Let me give you an idea :
in 'Blue Highways' this tavern might be considered a 4-calendar establishment
I saw these 4 guys earlier in the trip !
Hieronymus Mueller Museum
Brochure asks 'Are you a historian, .. sociologist, or curious about how water gets into your home?' ... I'm sure you are and I'm about to give you info. and pic's about this interesting man and his family.
He was born in Wertheim, Germany in 1832. (I was there in the early 60's!) He was trained as a machinist. The social unrest and revolutions in 1848 forced him to leave for America in 1850. He had a knack for understanding mechanical devices. This led to his appointment as Decatur's first 'city plumber' in 1871 to oversee the installation of a water distribution system. A short while later he invented .. The Mueller Water Tapper, a device that made new connections to water main pipes without disrupting the flow of water.
He also patented the first sanitary drinking fountain. His company becomes a leader in this field. When you see a fire hydrant .. check what name is on it. They make most of the U.S.'s hydrants in their Albertville, Alabama plant.
Staley Museum
A.E. Staley was another success story that helped bring business and employment to Decatur. His start as a salesman working out of his home in North Carolina turned into a business where in 1902 he used a building in Decatur to mill and package 'Cream Corned Starch' as his first product. His company later produced a variety of syrups and laundry products.
Then ... he pioneered the production and processing of soy beans finding uses in food products and animal feeds. He arranged a railroad tour of Illinois to visit farms and assure them that if they grew it .. he would buy it.
In 1930 his employees moved into a newly built art-deco LARGE office building often referred to as the 'Castle in the Cornfields'.
Wikipedia pic
You may remember my notes from the October blog entry about Decatur and the picture of the Staley mural, that A.E. Staley (Augustus Eugene) formed baseball and football teams. George Halas, the future legendary NFL coach was the player-coach for the football team. Known as the Decatur Staley's the team eventually moved to Chicago to become the Chicago Bears.
Came home and Tom oriented me with the washer and dryer and I washed a load of clothes. Tom & Charlotte started preparing the ingredients to make a homemade pizza for dinner. As a last night treat and honor, they served Veuve Clicquot champagne ! A fun visit! Thanks! Tom & Charlotte 💓
On through Missouri to Nebraska .. heading eventually to Thermopolis, WY.
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