Historic Homes of Noblesville-355 S. 9th St.

Location:  355 S. 9th St.

Owners:  Dr. Jason and Tina Bell, since 2005

Style & History:  The Sowerwine house was build in 1904 by Charles and Sarah Sowerwine.  The home, a late Queen Anne, exhibits numerous characteristics of this style, but without the exuberant ornamentation.  Edward and Eleanor Forsythe, who owned the home from 1918 to 1950, enlarged it with a 2-story addition in the 1920’s and converted it to apartment in the 1930’s.  After more than sixty-five years as apartments, the home was recently converted back into a single-family residence.

What are your favorite features?  “We like that the house has large size rooms with plenty of storage, the large wrap-around front porch and our in-ground swimming pool.”

What work have you done on your house?  “The entire house has been renovated and has all new electrical and plumbing.  We have added some new windows, a wood pellet stove, new porch railing, hardi plank siding, and landscaping.”

What do you like about this area/neighborhood?  “What we like about the neighborhood, is that the community is starting to focus more on green living and restoring these beautiful homes and structures.”

Serendipity and Schoolhouses

Serendipity.  That’s what Dottie said as we got back into her car after a chat with a local man after we stopped to snap a picture of his house.  The front door was open and he invited us in and showed us around.  We connected because we’re ‘old house’ people, or more accurately, ‘old building’ people.  Old buildings are a way to connect with the past, with people who came before us, a way to honor the hard lives they led, and a way to be a part of what will be history someday.

            After I interviewed Dottie Young, who grew up right in Clarksville, for some of the history on last week’s schoolhouse cover story, she invited me to go along on a tour of old remaining schoolhouses in the area. She told me fascinating stories of people and places as we passed mile after mile of cornfields. “That house was constructed without nails,” she said as we passed a large white farmhouse, and “my mother was born in a house that used to stand here on this corner.” 

Dottie told me of tiny, nearly forgotten cemeteries tucked in the acres.  She has ancestors buried at many of them, dating back to when this area was settled.  She took me to an early surviving log cabin—and I was amazed.  It still has a wood shingle roof!

I’d never been on most of these roads, but I’d been to one of the old schoolhouses we visited.  I actually wrote about it here back when I first discovered it by accident. Just a shell now, in ruins but still standing, it touched me so deeply then and still does.  Dottie thinks it was called ‘Willow Pond’.

Down the road from that schoolhouse is where we met Josh Reynolds.  His is an amazing story of how he and his wife Laura purchased their schoolhouse and have renovated it into a beautiful, cozy home with soaring fourteen foot ceilings and wood floors. What’s now the front door wasn’t the original entrance, but there was a big hole in the wall from where a tractor had been driven right through the wall—on purpose—a common practice back then.  The limestone plaque is inscribed with the name Charles Zeis, Dottie’s great-grandfather.

I feel so much gratitude for those who work to preserve our stories and our buildings and our past. 

Saving the Schoolhouse

Love this place, love this woman, love that I got to do this story: Garden Thyme

CF Walk update and another fundraiser coming up

What a thrill for me to be able to do the cover story on Fritz Mills and the Cystic Fibrosis walk a few weeks ago. He’s one of the coolest people I know and I admire him. Fritz is courageous, kind, and pretty awesome all around.

In the very soggy month of May, the day of the walk was sunny and warm. The total raised for the Noblesville walk was $19,570, with $7,407.00 of that coming from Fritz’s Fantastic Friends team, surpassing their goal of $5,000. Thank you to all who participated and gave to this great cause.

Mark your calendars for another fun upcoming event right here in Noblesville. On Sunday June 12, Sid Davis will be hosting his annual Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser at the Noblesville Golf and Batting Center, located at 14700 Willow View Road, just off State Road 32 West.

Golf and Batting is open from 12-8 PM on Sundays and Davis will donate gross proceeds from the entire day to the CF Foundation. Festivities will be ongoing from 12-5 PM. Activities include a Driving Range, Putt Putt, Batting Cages, Sand Volleyball and Arcade Games.

For the third year there will also be a cornhole tournament. Teams of two register for a fee and the Grand Prize is half of the total pot going to the winners and the other half going to the CF Foundation (if the winner chooses to donate their winnings to the CF Foundation too, all the better). Contact Davis at www.golfandbattingcenter.com or 773.2909 to register. Info can also be found on the facebook page, Noblesville Golf and Batting Center.

As far as food goes, there will be Black Diamond BBQ available for purchase. You’ll also want to check out the raffle items, including: an autographed Steve Wariner guitar, a fireworks package, a gear/gift certificate from Nurpu, concert tickets from HANK 97.1 FM, autographed items from this year’s Indy 500 winner, Alex Tagliani, a custom hula hoop (donated by me) and more.

There’ll be entertainment, too. Linda Lee and the Noble Creek Boys will play live from 1-3 and I’m going to be there from 3-5 hooping it up, so come out and hoop, too. I’ll have music and community hoops of all sizes and weights to use. What great activities to do as a family and support a great cause. Hope to see you there!

Historic Homes of Noblesville--595 N. 10th St.

Location: 595 North 10th Street


Owners: Bud and Linda Ramsay, since 2002

Style & History: Built in a Traditional style, the home was constructed in 1941 and was a Show House at the Indianapolis Fairgrounds. It was then dismantled and moved to its permanent home, a lot that was originally part of the County Fairgrounds. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, owners of Armstrong Shoe store downtown, were the original owners. “We’ve heard stories about how well-loved the Armstrongs were in the community, and the wonderful light displays they did for Holidays and the generous candy they gave out for Halloween.”

What are your favorite features? “We love the extra large lot, the sunroom, and the large master bath. There’s a bar room in the basement, complete with a gorgeous marble bar that was dropped in when the house was built. We love the house and the way it feels. It’s a cozy, bright house.”

What work have you done on your house? “We owned the house for two years before we moved in. We scraped wallpaper, replaced the floors on the main level, installed a new kitchen counter and appliances, tore off the old sunroom and built a new sunroom, with a large master bath above it. We finished the basement, have a new garage and redid the landscaping and pond. We plan to put new windows in the original part of the house.”

What do you like about this area/neighborhood? “Everything—the friendly neighbors, being close to downtown, and we love living across from the school.”

Memorial Day--more than a car race

My first memories of Memorial Day go back to the tiny town I was raised in and my dad’s famous potato salad and celebratory first-grilled-hamburgers-of-the-season. When I was in junior high and high school and in the marching band, I participated in the Memorial Day parade that went down the main street in town and ended at the American Legion just across the railroad tracks. I stood at attention during the ceremony—a solemn salute to people I didn’t know and wars I difficult to comprehend.


The history of what we now call Memorial Day is interesting. Held on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and it was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to honor those killed in the Civil War by decorating their graves.


In some small way, my family tries to pay our respects to veterans by attending the ceremonies held here in Old Town on Memorial Day. I appreciate the efforts to honor those who are no longer here, to take some time remember them somehow even though I never knew them, and to help my kids know the meaning of the holiday and its origins. I feel that since they’re in such close proximity to the Indy 500 it would be easy for them to think it’s a holiday devoted to a car race.


Ceremonies this year start at the Courthouse lawn at 11 AM with the past commander of the American Legion giving a speech, followed by a 21 gun salute and Taps. The next stop is Riverside Cemetery, located off of 5th Street along the banks of the White River, where veterans names will be read, then the procession will move to Crownland Cemetery on Monument St. where there will be a short ceremony. Following the ceremony, all attendees are invited to the American Legion at 1094 Conner Street for lunch.

Another reason why you should recycle more and throw away less

Several readers emailed me with comments and questions on the recycling story I wrote a couple of months back, and I wanted to address one in particular. I’d mentioned that 50 percent of the money made through the recycling program comes back to the city to offset cost increases in the contract with Republic and we should all participate as much as possible.


Deb Webster wrote to me: “In your article on garbage collection/recycling in Noblesville you mentioned that our recycling actually provides a kick-back of sorts to the city's bill by Republic. I have never read that anywhere but in your column! This information needs to be posted on our water bills, on a banner in town, the city's website... Is it possible to get people recycling to the point that it would subsidize our garbage costs sufficiently to stop raising our bills?


Dan and I produce more recycling by far than garbage. We always have a full to overflowing recycle bin and one bag of garbage in our big garbage bin. We're just 2 people. I would think families would far out strip us in recycling if they were just more aware.”


I put the question to Len Finchum, Noblesville’s Street Commissioner, who replied that yes, half of the monies made from our recycle program reverts back to the City to help offset the expenses, and he agreed that if it was posted from time to time to the Noblesville residents it may help with their decision to recycle more.


Finchum also stated that while the return of monies helps with the recycle portion of the contract, the overall contract cost outweighs the possibilities of the funds being reduced enough to save a substantial amount, but it does help.


Finchum went on to say, “If Noblesville showed that it could recycle to a level exceeding the general trash amounts, then the contract could be written to address this. The contract will be up next year and I will look at the verbiage to possibly address a tonnage comparison of trash and recycling. Anything is possible if enough people support the idea and put forth the effort to see it done. Thank you for your thoughts and positive support that Noblesville residents can make better things happen.”


Thanks for your great question, Deb, and for your thoughtful response, Len. And again, rock on, recyclers.