I pulled into Concord Township in Adams County just as the sun was setting. I scrambled to take pictures of the signage that mentioned Concord, along with the Mennonite church and the beautiful sunset. I had contacted the Elders listed on the Concord Mennonite Church, but they didn’t reply to my request to attend service. It was a long shot.
I had to use the car’s high beams to light the last pictures of Concord in Adams County. I turned right toward the highway that would lead me to my last stop in Indiana. I stopped to consult the map, and suddenly remembered that this was my only Concord with a bed and breakfast -The Red Bird Inn. I hadn’t booked a room because I had no idea when I’d get to this Concord.
Despite the late hour I gave a call and Becky said that she didn’t have a room (She had a party of deer hunters) but the cabin was available.
Becky was in a golf cart, having neatened the cabin. “I left you some homemade chocolate chip cookies and four books that have some pictures and the history of Adams County. I’m sure you’ll find some information about Concord Township.” Cookies and resources - this was a good start.
“Is there a breakfast available?” It was a bed and breakfast after all.
“Can be, what would you like? Have you had any dinner?”
“I’ve had some snacks on the way.” I didn’t want to admit I was suffering from my ‘meal’ of Hi-Chew candy, sunflower seeds, and Coca-Cola.
A beautiful meal of chips and salsa, a ham and cheese sandwich, fresh green beans, cranberry juice and an ice-cream bar appeared about a ½ hour later. In the meantime, I had settled in and had started reviewing the four massive tomes of Adams County histoy. There wasn’t much on Concord except that one of the founders was named Willard Keyes, so I figured there had to be a connection with the Willards and Keyes of Concord, Massachusetts.The county seat is named Quincy, so that everyone was doubly sure about who they were honoring. In later years, this led to the slightly naughty saying: “ You’ve got an Adams; you have a Quincy; but where”s the john?
The cabin slept five and attractive decorations covered much of the knotty pine walls. Like Gaston in ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ Becky used “antlers in all of the decorating.” Native American memorabilia covered the main wall, while posters and roadside signs of cardinals or red birds filled much of the other spaces.
On the last night of my venture, I finally escaped the generic hotels, and I had my best sleep of the trip.
I had to use the car’s high beams to light the last pictures of Concord in Adams County. I turned right toward the highway that would lead me to my last stop in Indiana. I stopped to consult the map, and suddenly remembered that this was my only Concord with a bed and breakfast -The Red Bird Inn. I hadn’t booked a room because I had no idea when I’d get to this Concord.
Despite the late hour I gave a call and Becky said that she didn’t have a room (She had a party of deer hunters) but the cabin was available.
Becky was in a golf cart, having neatened the cabin. “I left you some homemade chocolate chip cookies and four books that have some pictures and the history of Adams County. I’m sure you’ll find some information about Concord Township.” Cookies and resources - this was a good start.
“Is there a breakfast available?” It was a bed and breakfast after all.
“Can be, what would you like? Have you had any dinner?”
“I’ve had some snacks on the way.” I didn’t want to admit I was suffering from my ‘meal’ of Hi-Chew candy, sunflower seeds, and Coca-Cola.
A beautiful meal of chips and salsa, a ham and cheese sandwich, fresh green beans, cranberry juice and an ice-cream bar appeared about a ½ hour later. In the meantime, I had settled in and had started reviewing the four massive tomes of Adams County histoy. There wasn’t much on Concord except that one of the founders was named Willard Keyes, so I figured there had to be a connection with the Willards and Keyes of Concord, Massachusetts.The county seat is named Quincy, so that everyone was doubly sure about who they were honoring. In later years, this led to the slightly naughty saying: “ You’ve got an Adams; you have a Quincy; but where”s the john?
The cabin slept five and attractive decorations covered much of the knotty pine walls. Like Gaston in ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ Becky used “antlers in all of the decorating.” Native American memorabilia covered the main wall, while posters and roadside signs of cardinals or red birds filled much of the other spaces.
On the last night of my venture, I finally escaped the generic hotels, and I had my best sleep of the trip.
I awoke early to repack everything into one checked bag and one carry-on. All the stuff accumulated in the backseat and trunk had to be crammed into my small to-be-checked bag. I had planned to spend two days traveling to Indianapolis, but I had good reasons to rush home.
A lovely breakfast of turkey bacon, eggs, and smiles arrived from Becky. She had to dash off for an early meeting.
“Would you like to see the animals?” She had a lovely black mare and two miniature horses. Cats patrolled everywhere.
“I’ve got to get goin’ to my meeting, but would you like to see the barn?”
It was a half barn and half museum. The old tack room displayed the knick-knacks from her life with horses and extended family. Skulls and antlers featured prominently.
“Those are some of my favorite horses. After they died, my father used to drag them to the back field and leave them there for animals to pick clean. After a few years, he retrieved the skulls.” The names, birthdate and death date were scribbled lightly in pencil on each horse skull.
“Would you like to see the grounds and the gardens?”
Despite enduring many tragic moments, including the untimely death of her son, Becky continued to recover with remarkable strength. She is one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.
I could have stayed all day trying to capture the beauty, history and pride of place that made up the Red Bird Inn, but I had a long drive, another Concord to visit and a flight to catch, and I suspected that Becky missed her meeting.
“The ladies will be so surprised when I tell them I had a visitor from Concord, Massachusetts!” I gave her my customary gift and hit the road.
A lovely breakfast of turkey bacon, eggs, and smiles arrived from Becky. She had to dash off for an early meeting.
“Would you like to see the animals?” She had a lovely black mare and two miniature horses. Cats patrolled everywhere.
“I’ve got to get goin’ to my meeting, but would you like to see the barn?”
It was a half barn and half museum. The old tack room displayed the knick-knacks from her life with horses and extended family. Skulls and antlers featured prominently.
“Those are some of my favorite horses. After they died, my father used to drag them to the back field and leave them there for animals to pick clean. After a few years, he retrieved the skulls.” The names, birthdate and death date were scribbled lightly in pencil on each horse skull.
“Would you like to see the grounds and the gardens?”
Despite enduring many tragic moments, including the untimely death of her son, Becky continued to recover with remarkable strength. She is one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.
I could have stayed all day trying to capture the beauty, history and pride of place that made up the Red Bird Inn, but I had a long drive, another Concord to visit and a flight to catch, and I suspected that Becky missed her meeting.
“The ladies will be so surprised when I tell them I had a visitor from Concord, Massachusetts!” I gave her my customary gift and hit the road.
