Rockport, Indiana

Rockport, Indiana, is a quiet town along the Ohio River with many exciting and unusual surprises. It has a cave home along the river, a rock wall observation ledge, Abraham Lincoln history, a museum, a fantastic time capsule, and was where a Hollywood movie was made, not to mention Florence Henderson, who played the part of Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch, grew up and attended school here. There’s much more here than initially meets the eye.

For starters, there’s an unusual park in front of the Ohio River. Many towns have a Riverfront Park, but this one has a rock wall observation ledge. People used to climb up freehand and would fall, so they built stairs and a cage so you couldn’t plummet to your death. A little sign on the front tells how tall the water got during the great flood of 1937.

A short distance further along the shoreline is a cave. It’s where James Langford and his family lived in 1808 until he could build a home. They were the first white family to live in Rockport. I found this beautiful stone that someone had left behind. I left it for the next visitor to enjoy. In the distance is the William H. Natcher Bridge, which was completed in 2002. The bridge is a massive 455 ft across and 67 ft wide. Sitting along the waterfront is just a great way to decompress.

At the end of the property is this stone marker. It memorializes where Abraham Lincoln and his friend Alan Gentry took a flatboat from here in 1828. They floated down to the Mississippi River to sell goods and, while there, saw slavery and its ugliness. Abraham Lincoln was absolutely disgusted and deeply affected. He said, “If I ever get a chance to hit that thing, I’ll hit it hard.” This 1828 trip would affect Abraham Lincoln for the rest of his life. For sure, he didn’t come back as the same person.

The original courthouse is gone. An older Abraham Lincoln returned home from Illinois and gave his speech supporting Henry Clay for president in 1844. The courthouse here was completed in 1921, and this sign speaks of how Lincoln spent the night here in a Tavern Hotel on this hill after he gave that speech. But that place is also gone.

Great American history was being lost as the years went by, and that planted a seed in a man named George Honig, a dream that would end in something quite extraordinary. George Honig was born here at Rockport and lived among people who knew and spoke to Abraham Lincoln and his family. Abraham Lincoln was a hometown hero, proving that anyone could be anything, even if they weren’t born rich. That inspired George to believe that he, too, could do anything. George went on to study art, get a college education, and develop a reputation for making historical monuments for a living.

Near the end of his career, it was the 1930s, and the country was in a depression. The economy collapsed, and people were without jobs. People lost everything, and something needed to be done to get Americans back on their feet. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created to generate jobs and get America working again so they’d have money to stimulate the economy. People were offered all kinds of jobs. Some jobs were as mundane as digging ditches one day only to fill them up the next, whereas others built terrific things still around today.

George Honig saw an opportunity to make a dream a reality, even if he was in his 60s at the time. George devised a plan to build a time capsule, a village that memorializes and tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s 14 years lived in Spencer County, Indiana. This ambitious plan would bring his sister’s actual cabin and many others to the site and build other structures from the ground up. After the plan was approved, WPA workers were organized and put to work. White and black workers worked side by side to create a memorial that’s lasted nearly 100 years.

Much like a theme park, a concession stand, and souvenirs were offered, and Abraham Lincoln’s legacy was kept alive. Without a doubt, if it weren’t for George Honig, the village wouldn’t have happened, and I can only imagine that a large piece of American history would have been lost. Work was completed in 1935.

Today, a colorful sign sits at the entrance of the town’s fairgrounds. This statue at the village gate sums it up best: 14 years of Abraham Lincoln’s life were spent here, from a boy to a man. The village comprises 14 buildings, 12 of which tell the story of Abraham Lincoln’s family and their neighbors from 1818 to 1830. It stands over 80 years later, telling how a great man became president by a great man with a dream, George Honig.

A blockhouse was one of the first buildings a pioneer might see on the frontier. These were created as tiny secure forts for soldiers to live in during Indian raids in the Indiana territory. They were scarcely used, if ever.

Leaving Kentucky for Indiana, Abraham’s father, Thomas Lincoln, built a home for his wife, Nancy, and his kids, Sarah and Abraham. It had a dirt floor and a lean-to workshed in the back, as Thomas was a skilled carpenter by trade. After Nancy Hanks Lincoln died, Thomas remarried a widow, Sarah Bush Johnston, who brought three of her children to Indiana. She insisted that Thomas build wooden floors, and she brought fine furniture of her own making. It became one of the most excellent houses around. Abraham’s cousin, Dennis Hanks, also moved in, making it a table lined with eight people. Abraham, Dennis, and his stepbrother John slept in the loft upstairs.

I can only imagine the stories and laughter up there with Abraham, known for his silly humor. One time, as a practical joke, Abraham got some local boys to walk through the mud, and he held them upside down so they could leave footprints on the ceiling as a joke. A true story significant to uncertain pioneer life was the Little Pigeon Baptist Church. Abraham and his father helped build the original. They used to sit in what’s now Lincoln State Park. The entire Lincoln family were church members, except Abraham. It wasn’t a religious decision on his part; you had to be married or 21 to be a member then. He did attend regularly, though. However, he also got in trouble at home for making fun of the pastors and other members. Fireplaces were installed on each side to keep everyone warm during the cold Indiana winters. But after a tough week, it was a joy to listen to the minister’s words of hope on Sunday morning, pick up a hymnal, and sing songs of praise with your neighbors. A second story was added for travelers to stay while they were in the area.

At the schoolhouse, we find a place of learning in Abraham’s early years. The seats were hard, and there were few amenities. The teachers were stern but had to be with wild-eyed pioneer kids. But bringing the teacher an apple might win you points. You were taught to read, write, and do basic arithmetic before fancy white paper, pencils, and crayons. Kids wrote on slate tablets like these.