This trip was more like our first eight years ago when Liz and I showed up in eight different Concords and just winged it. So many of the Concords on this trip were so small that they had virtually no online footprint. Wikipedia had only the latest census data and Google Maps indicated the presence of a couple of buildings, but there were few cafes or hotels, and only one had a bed and breakfast. I had found people, images, and stories because I took my time and dared to interrupt the lives of Concordians while they were unloading their groceries or mowing their lawns or fixing their cars. Today, I rushed and ignored the opportunity to pull strangers from their daily lives and introduce myself. “I am in a rush” was simply a convenient excuse. I had planned on visiting Concord Township in Morgan County on the following day on my way out to Indiana, but when I unexpectedly drove past the “Entering Morgan County” sign, I decided to go find Concord township.
I stopped to photograph the signs “Welcome to Concord, population 176” and another celebrating football and basketball championships over the past 50 years. They had a war memorial, a village hall, a post office and a handsome village church that dated back to 1850. There used to be a train station, but now there are just a few signs and piles of gravel. I headed a few miles out of town to yet another “Concord Cemetery.” Late afternoon storms were rolling in and I had another Concord to get to.