New Albany a fun place to be? YES it is.

For several weekends in a row, there's been no reason to leave New Albany for entertainment. We're on a roll and I love it. Yesterday we had perfect weather for the Fourth Annual Historic Home Tour. I'm not sure what's up next weekend but I have no doubt there will be something.

In recent Ted news, I've acquired a video camera. I'm not putting away the Nikon quite yet, but you can expect to see more videos of people having fun and doing good stuff in New Albany.

The acquisition was a strategic one. Video is a great way to tell the story of a place. We have great neighborhoods in New Albany. We need to work on telling the positive stories taking place here for prospective homebuyers, renters, and investors.

My first contribution is a short clip of highlights from the Home Tour. Sadly, I couldn't hit all the homes.

The 2009 Celtic Fest in New Albany

It was a magical evening in New Albany last night. As if by magic, it was a damp, cloudy, chilly evening which set the perfect mood for a Celtic Festival. Hard to imagine a more perfect setting. If you missed the event or want to relive it, click this link to view photographs.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

That’s right. You could be my neighbor if you act quickly. The Charles E. Richards House, 844 Cedar Bough Place, is for sale. I’m bummed that my buddy Mary Anne Tonini is moving, but change happens and I’m excited about having a new neighbor.

Mary Anne has worked her butt off bringing this house back to where it is now. The new roof (metal shingles) is amazing. The new paint scheme, landscaping and the refinished hardwood floors are also fantastic. If you are in the market, or just thinking about jumping in the market, you owe it to yourself to come take a look at the house. Remember that the $8,000 federal tax credit is still available.

Additionally, for a nominal contribution to my beer inventory or my humidor, you could have your grass cut regularly. That’s just one of the perks of being a neighbor of Ted.

Check out her listing on Historic New Albany.com. For more information or to arrange a showing, call Mary Anne at 812/941-8887. You can also see the home during the New Albany Historic Home Tour on September 12. Visit Develop New Albany.com for more information on the tour and how to purchase tickets.

The Bough is a pretty special place. It should be your next home.

It’s Home “Tur” Time in New Albany – Saturday, September 12

I took a recent trip deep into the Indiana interior recently. It was a fun trip, with a celebration of historic preservation at the core. The trip included a guided walking tour and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I only dozed off once, so it had to be good.

Locals in the interior kept talking about the “tur” (say the word turn, without the n). I enjoy local dialects bunches. I picked up on the “tur” thing and just can’t let it go.

Y’all can bet we got ourselves the best Home Tur yet this year. This would be the 4th Annual Home Tur. So come to New Albany and Tur it up. Tur until you drop, then Tur some more. Buy your Tur ticket at the Develop New Albany website. Or buy your Tur ticket at the Gallery on Pearl. Just please do buy a Tur ticket cause this here Tur is gonna be a good'in.

View the Home Tur homes at this link or at the Develop New Albany website.

New Albany Farmers Market

There was an impressive crowd at the Farmers Market yesterday despite the intermittent downpours. If you are not a regular visitor to the New Albany Famers Market, you should be. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning (or Wednesday evening). Buy local fresh produce. Listen to local musicians. Meander around downtown New Albany.

You can follow the Market on Facebook too and get up to the minute details on new vendors and special events.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

That’s what Repair Affair is all about. Neighbors helping neighbors.

Members of the S. Ellen Jones Neighborhood Association are committed to reaching out and helping others. Taking on a Repair Affair home was a great project and we plan to make this type of effort a regular occurrence.

Why is Repair Affair so important? Qualifying low-income, elderly or disabled homeowners get home repair assistance. Residents are “hands on” in fulfilling a primary objective of maintaining and improving housing conditions of area homes. And it feels good helping those who need it.

Here’s a small slide show of progress at the SEJ Repair Affair home. We underestimated the work needed and will be back at the house on Saturday, July 18. Painters are needed. Contact me at fulmore_runner@msn.com if you want to volunteer time next weekend to finish out the project.



Thank you Stephen, Suzanne, Mary Anne, Dave and Nora for all your help this week.

Learn More, Further Reading:
Tribune article about Repair Affair
New Directions Housing Corporation website
Learn more about New Directions Housing Corporation

The wonderfully unstructured guerilla campaign to promote New Albany

I like things to be structured. It’s how I’m wired. I guess it’s some sort of herding instinct that I have inherited. Get the game plan together and execute it. Measure progress. Celebrate the progress. Finish the project. Start the next project. And so on…

I’ve even recently mused about progress in New Albany and lamented about the unstructured and uncoordinated approach. But I realized that despite that, progress had been made. A comment by Randy Smith (All4word) on that posting emphasized a critical point:

100 people 100 miles away from it can see the top of the mountain. And if they all head that way, from time to time their paths will cross. Some will make it to the top and others will not.That's not a "coordinated" strategy, but perhaps the guerilla campaign is more coordinated than you might think. Perhaps not everything has to be coordinated. In fact, what you call coordination has, in past years, seemed to be counterproductive in many ways, undemocratic, and more Astroturf than grass roots.

Thanks Randy. I get it. I really do. In fact, I’ve been part of the guerilla campaign without really knowing it. To further emphasize the point, here is part of some text from a Facebook message I received recently:

Hello, Ted - I've been reading your blog for a few months now. Your blog combined with Historic New Albany and NA Confidential managed to pull another Louisville Resident to the sunny side.

Just wanted to say hello and let you that your efforts to revitalize New Albany aren't going unnoticed. Matt.

No, I did not coordinate with other bloggers or the webmaster at Historic New Albany.com when I launched my blog in 2006. I simply wanted a place to promote a positive image of New Albany, its history and to share the trials and tribulations of my house restoration (32,189 page views later, I think that I can call the effort a reasonable success).

The guerilla campaign is working. If you’ve ever talked to a friend or co-worker about good stuff in New Albany, you’ve been part of it. If you’ve forwarded the link to Historic New Albany.com to someone house shopping, you’ve been part of it. If you’ve ever rigged voting on another website to promote New Albany as the best neighborhood in the region, you’ve been part of it.

Yes, I can see the top of the mountain. And many others can too. I get it. But damn it, I want to measure something!

Actually, I can measure and report something:
224,683 = number of site visits to Historic New Albany.com since November 2006
7,021 = average number of monthly site visits to Historic New Albany.com

Those are nice numbers. Let's keep the guerilla campaign going.

To view site data and a graph, click this link.

Gonna get me Shotgun and... Rehab it!

Reinventing the Shotgun House for Contemporary Living: A Workshop for Fans and Friends of the Shotgun

"I love shotgun houses. But I don't want to walk from the front to the back without going through all of the rooms!"

Ron Stiller, local architect with special interest in historic buildings says a shotgun's interior can be changed to accommodate today's living styles. And on Tuesday, June 30, if you attend our workshop, you can learn to redesign the interior of a shotgun house for contemporary living while leaving the exterior in tact. Attend "Reinventing the Shotgun House for Contemporary Living" at Carnegie Center, 201 E Spring Street, New Albany, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.

Ron Stiller, himself a shotgun house owner, explains how room additions can sensitively accommodate today’s living styles without sacrificing architectural character. Ron shows examples of designs for installing stairs to a second floor, solving problems of privacy, the cost of changing the interior design, and how modifications can conserve energy.

Real estate broker Ed Clere discusses from a real estate appreciation and sale perspective how to evaluate a shotgun house and its renovation to maximize its value.

The workshop -- free and open to the public – requires reservations by calling Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana – 812 284- 4534. Sponsors: Historic Landmarks Foundation and Develop New Albany.

Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, the largest statewide or local preservation group in the U.S., saves, restores, and protects places of architectural and historical significance. From its ten offices, Historic Landmarks leads and assists others in rescuing endangered landmarks and preserving buildings and districts. Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana is a private, not-for-profit organization. For more information, call Historic Landmarks, 317-639-4534/800-450-4534 or visit www.historiclandmarks.org.

Develop New Albany, Inc., a non-profit organization composed of businesses and community volunteers commits its resources to the economic revitalization and historic preservation of Downtown New Albany. For more information, call Develop New Albany, 812-941-0018 or 812-949-4900, or visit www.developna.org.

Submitted by Judy Martin, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana

Seeing Green. Touring Green. Contemplating Green.

There’s been much discussion recently about Adaptive Reuse. I’m pleased. And not just because I like the topic. I’m pleased because the discussion is taking place here in New Albany and there has been something rare in these parts – consensus.

I’m speaking of the historic Coyle building of course. Click below to start a slideshow of the current building.

I commend all involved in the potential project and look forward to this historic building and large block being reused and contributing to the continued revitalization of New Albany.

Good Timing

Call it a stroke of planning genius (or dumb luck) but back in May a visit had been planned to The Green Building in Louisville. A group of interested New Albanians, including city representatives, wanted to see this historic and LEED certified building. The tour was yesterday. Click below to view the slide show.

It was an inspiring tour. The Green Building sets a standard in the area. There’s much to learn and take away from the project. Perhaps one day soon we’ll be giving tours of our own standard setting project at the Coyle site?

Don’t Be Afraid of the Friendly Street

There has been a posting hiatus here at Our History because of recent travels. The hiatus is now over.

One of my recent destinations was Germany. The most amazing thing about the visit, besides the breweries in and around Bamberg, was how easy it was to move around town without a car.

Which leads me to this question:

Is there anything scary in this photograph?

That street is walkable and bike accessible. It’s a friendly street. Why are some New Albanians so afraid of this photograph? Why is there fear-mongering about traffic calming, bike lanes and converting one-way drag strips to two-way streets?

Can anyone honestly tell me that an investment to upgrade an existing street in New Albany to look like this would be a bad investment? Would this not be an improvement to “quality of life” in the area?

Perhaps it is just “change” that frightens some. Unfortunately the world is changing. The future that is coming includes streets that look like this one.

Done. Again. The End of the Box Gutter Saga.

Done. Again.
It has been a ride to hell and back. The box gutter war is over. I’ve lost many of my battles with them. But the war has been won. I danced in the street last night.

We’ve gone from poorly restored and leaking gutters to gutters lined with gold (actually, it’s copper but the check I wrote felt like it was gold). Water now pours into my house only in my nightmares. That musty smell is starting to fade. Plaster repair and painting of water damage will be underway soon.

Amazingly, from the time the work began in late April to completion yesterday, we’ve received over 7 inches of rain. That’s nuts. It made it difficult for the contractor, Patina Copper & Slate, and extremely stressful for me. A couple Fridays ago, we got a storm that a meteorologist called an “inland hurricane”. I’d never heard the term. I cursed him. But it is all over now.

It’s time to move on and make more stupid restoration decisions that will cost me thousands :-)

Here are more photographs of work in progress taken by Kurtis Hord, owner of Patina Copper & Slate.

Windows, Windows, Windows - Workshop this Tuesday

Even I'm getting a little tired of my continued ranting on not destroying historic wood windows.

So just don't do it.

Instead, learn how to repair them at our Preservation Workshop this Tuesday, May 19. Learn more here. Bring a receipt from a dining establishment downtown and be entered to win a prize!

On the topic of windows, have you heard about the tax credit being offered for replacing your windows? I’m not giving you a link because I’m pissed off. I'm firmly in the Obama camp, but this is completely irresponsible. I can only assume a plastic peddling scumbag lobbyist has gotten a nice fat bonus. I hope he/she chokes on it.

There is nothing "green" about destroying existing resources. There is nothing "green" about failing to maintain your windows. There is nothing "green" about replacing historic wood windows with an inferior product that will fail and have to be replaced again. That's irresponsible.

Get your butt to the workshop and learn something. Or buy a damn book. Or Google until you find instructions. Or visit one of the links below. Just don’t give in to the scare tactic sales pitches from hot chicks or some greasy looking salesman on TV telling you that you need new windows.

Green Home Tips
Historic Wood Window Tip Sheet
Window Repair Video

Save the Windows!

Perspective from 2005, Downtown New Albany

I’m lucky. Every May I work with some extremely dedicated preservationists to help plan Preservation Month events in New Albany. We’ve been doing this for several years. We’ve even expanded the operation to include events outside of May – Newport forum and Windows Workshop.

Fellow planner, David Barksdale, made a great point the other day. In 2005 the situation downtown was much different than what we have today (2009). Sixteen properties were available along the Pearl and Market Street corridors. Large swaths of blocks were unoccupied. Today, in the same area, there are only 4 properties available.

The weakness, and one I’ll take my share of the blame for, is the lack of tracking of important data like this. Local activists focus on the current and in many cases the ugly issues. Seldom do we take the time to look back and appreciate just how much progress has been made. We don’t do a good job of defining the outcomes desired either. I will endeavor to help change that.

As I related to a large group of people recently, the quality of life here has improved here. While I have no data to support this, I do believe the image for the area is changing in a positive way. And this is being done without any coordinated strategy whatsoever. Just imagine if we tried?

I have to go now because it’s the opening day for the Farmers Market. I also have to stop at our local bookstore, Destinations Booksellers, to do some shopping. At 11:00 I’ll be attending a walking tour downtown with dozens of visitors, touring buildings downtown that are in progress of being restored. Then I have to hit River City Winery to pick up two bottles of wine for my Dad’s birthday. I’ll have to grab lunch somewhere along the way, probably at Studio's. Then a stop at the Gallery on Pearl for a Mothers Day gift and a welcome gift for a gal from California who is buying a house on my street. A workout at the YMCA may get squeezed in there or maybe a run along the Greenway (workouts will need to increase, as Wicks Pizza opens in July). And I’m really looking forward to dinner at Bank Street Brewhouse this evening.

Best of all, it’s going to be a “no car” weekend, as I can do all the above walking.

Indeed, 2005 sure seems like a longtime ago.

Get out this Saturday and Do Stuff in New Albany

Gym, Gems, and “Guice” seen together only on a walking tour of historic downtown New Albany

On May 9, 11 AM, meet at the new YMCA, 33 State Street, New Albany, to participate in a tour of the “Gems” of Pearl Street. This exclusive tour, based on the year-old guide to historic downtown New Albany, not only browses the facades of the wonderful buildings.

Participants explore the inside of the old Fashion Shop at 213 Pearl, the White House Centre at 222 Pearl, and the old Kresge Building at the corner of Pearl and Market. It’s the opportunity for the curious to see how the Fashion Shop and the Kresge Building have evolved since they’ve been closed to the public. The tour ends at River City Winery, the historic Baer Building, where participants sample “Guice,” exclusively named for this event.

With the tour ending at noon, participants can visit the Farmers Market, open 8 AM–1 PM, at the corner of Bank and Market, and downtown merchants during the First Saturday event, 10 AM–5 PM.) Floyd County Historian David Barksdale, leads the tour.

Free and open to the public. This event is co-sponsored by New Albany Historic Preservation Commission, Develop New Albany, and Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.

Submitted by: Judy Martin, Program Assistant
Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana
812-284-5434

New Albany Kicks Off Preservation Month with Preservation Conversation

Connecting preservation of historic buildings with the green movement, Steve Wiser, Louisville architect, shares his visualization as far into the future as 2035 of how preserving the built environment can influence southern Indiana communities.

Tuesday - May 5, 2009
Cornerstone Evangelical Methodist Church
418 East Spring Street, New Albany
7:00 – 8:30 PM

Join the conversation on how restoring a building rather than tearing down and building new significantly reduces landfill waste and increases the need for human labor, while the neighborhood and its community stay in tact. Potentially, choices to rehabilitate, restore, and repair our inherited structures influence the lives of the community’s residents and visitors well beyond our own lives.

This event is free and open to the public. The co-sponsors include New Albany Historic Preservation Commission, Develop New Albany, and Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.

What’s my motivation?

Motivation to get going on the exterior rehabilitation work has been hard to come by lately. I’ve found it entirely too easy to get caught up in the whirlwind and be tossed about.

In case you are new to the Our History experience, my house has undergone a rebirth in recent years, being removed from the “plastic baggie” so to speak:

The plan this spring and summer (and I don’t do much without a plan) is to start small. Windows will get much needed attention. I’ve had a tendency to move along the house leaving them for later and later is now. Nice weather last weekend and about 6 hours of work resulted in this:

The dreaded box gutters are being relined by a professional. That alone, when done, will help me sleep at nights. Then there’s a ton of detail work to do as I return to areas of the house to apply the final coat of paint. And yes, the devil really is in the details. And then there’s the rear of the house. It’s untouched and pristine but will get hit hard with the goal being to complete before cold weather hits.

It’s an ambitious work plan. I’ll keep you posted on progress.

And speaking of windows, you really need to check out this website. The Kansas State Historical Society has posted several videos giving great detail about window rehab. From the site:

For decades, consumers have been led to believe that replacing their old wood windows with new vinyl, metal or clad windows will improve their home. Replacement windows have been marketed as energy efficient, and therefore environmentally friendly, and economical, by saving the homeowner money over the lifespan of the window. In reality, properly repaired wood windows can be equally energy efficient, are more environmentally friendly, are a better financial investment, and preserve one of the most important character-defining features of a historic home.

Vinyl siding and a good deal on real estate in Florida

The justification is easy. No more painting. You can put plastic on your house and “never have to paint your house again.” It's maintenance free!

Yeah. Right. And I’ve got some swampland down in Florida to sell you too.

Here’s an example of maintenance free vinyl.

This is a home not far from mine in New Albany. The resident did not apply the vinyl. He only has to clean up the mess as a result. Water was getting behind the vinyl and the homeowner had no idea.

The application of vinyl to a home, on top of the original surface, covers up original architectural detail. It diminishes the character of not just the individual home, but also the surrounding neighborhood. It also leads to hidden maintenance issues like this that could result in major structural damage.

Plastic has many great uses (like Wiffle balls and bats!). Keep the integrity of your historic home intact and keep the plastic off of it. Thanks.

Further reading:

New Albany Design Guidelines for Siding and Trim

New Albany Weird - The Reno Brothers Short Visit in 1868

A friend has inspired me to dig up and recount some of the weirdest history and people of New Albany. We’re an old river town after all, and we had characters aplenty coming and going as often as a train pulled in or a steamboat tied up. Some put roots down here and went to procreating, providing us with a healthy dose of distinctiveness that carries through to today.

So begin several posts in which New Albany’s strange and little-known history will be shared and discussed.

The Night the Reno Brothers Hung Out in New Albany

Think of the wild American West and it’s doubtful that New Albany, or even Indiana, would be in your thoughts. Train robberies and shootouts just don’t seem to fit. However, if you are familiar with the Reno Brothers Gang then you know that would be a mistake.

You can read about the Reno Gang at their Wikipedia page. They were troublemakers, and damn good at it. They relished swindling travelers in shady card games and swindling the U.S. government by enlisting in the Army during the Civil War under multiple names, collecting enlistment bounties and then bolting. These scoundrels (from the Seymour area) are also credited with the first three peacetime train robberies in the United States.

My focus will be on the Reno Gang members who visited New Albany. It was the last place they visited.

The Gang appears to have robbed one train too many. They’d taken $96,000 in cash and bonds from a train in May 1868 and soon after had attempted to sell some of the bonds in Syracuse, New York. The railroad company was alerted and arrests were made. Gang members Frank Reno and Charles Anderson were tracked down across the border, in Canada. Simeon and William Reno were arrested in Indiana shortly thereafter. All were brought to New Albany, which was known to have the sturdiest jail in the region. A photograph of the jail is below – it was located at the northeast corner of State and Spring (current location of the PNC Bank).

Previous law enforcement failures to stop the Reno Gang had given rise to some vigilante justice in and around the Seymour area. A group calling itself the “Southern Indiana Vigilance Committee” had had some success in tracking other gang members down. Lynching was the justice they dispensed.

Having four Reno Gang members in New Albany was a juicy target the Committee could not pass up. At 3:30 am, December 12, 1868, about 70 members of the Committee arrived by train from Seymour. This was a business trip and their business was hanging the Renos.

Upon arrival, the Committee stormed the jail and shot Sherriff Thomas Fullenlove (not fatally) in the shoulder and got the cell keys. They were in and out in twenty minutes. The engraving below depicts how they dispersed around the jail while the deed was done.

The Reno Gang was hanged from the jail catwalk, one at a time. Frank Reno was first. Charles Anderson last. The mob then made their way down to the train station at the base of State Street and headed off back to Seymour. No charges were ever filed.

After the hangings, this simply delicious proclamation was issued by the “Southern Indiana Vigilance Committee.” Click the link to read the entire thing.

Do not trifle with us, for if you do we will follow you to the bitter end and give you a short shrift and a hempen collar. As to this our action in the past will be a guarantee for our conduct in the future.

So there you have it. The first train robbers in the United States had their butts hanged right here in New Albany, at the current location of the bank where I do my business. It’s some damn strange history and enough to give me the shivers when I visit the bank.

More Reading:

Reno Brothers on Wikipedia

A Reno Brothers Blog

Blogging with Roger Bloom, The Reno Brothers

The Reno Brothers Gang and the Floyd County Jail

Images provided by the Floyd County Historical Society

Good Stuff at S. Ellen Jones Elementary

Role models are important. Not everyone has the benefit of having a good one. However, the kids at S. Ellen Jones Elementary do: Officer Chad Armenta of the New Albany Police Department. Last year the Horseshoe Foundation awarded a grant to the school that pays for Officer Armenta to work 2 hours a day to perform liaison/truancy duties.

Attendance at the school has improved – that was the goal. Friendships have also been formed, as well as a positive respect for law enforcement. The daily presence in the neighborhood has also helped bring an improved sense of safety and stability.

Yesterday the school staff, children and the S. Ellen Jones neighborhood got the chance to thank Officer Armenta and the Horseshoe Foundation. It was a fun program that was followed by popsicles for everyone.

Call me a softy if you want, but hearing a choir of 1st graders sing tugs mightily at the heartstrings. It was also moving to see the hugs Officer Armenta got at the end of the ceremony. It was an inspiring afternoon and a bit of good news I wanted to share.

Repeating the Message Again, Again, Again....

The message may get repetitive, but it will continue to be delivered. The world can’t build its way to sustainability. We’ve got to work with what we’ve got and make it more efficient.

Please take a minute to read this entire Op-Ed piece (by Richard Moe) from the New York Times.

“Experience has shown that virtually any older or historic house can become more energy-efficient without losing its character. Restoring the original features of older houses — like porches, awnings and shutters — can maximize shade and insulation. Older wooden windows perform very well when properly weatherized — this includes caulking, insulation and weather stripping — and assisted by the addition of a good storm window. Weatherizing leaky windows in most cases is much cheaper than installing replacements.”

Save the Windows!