Notebook of Ghosts

Indiana’s inconsistent weather means you must leave the house on a sunny day. Last week, winter paused and we welcomed the sun and 60-degree weather. I decided to visit a familiar space, but to defamiliarize my experience of it.

Each year, I attend the Fiddler’s Gathering in Battle Ground, IN. It’s usually dark, I’m usually eating festival food, and I’m usually drinking People’s beer. Everyone is dancing. Hula hoops are spinning. Kids are running around. You can hear music from the main stage and from nearby campsites. It’s a time Tippecanoe County comes together as a community with the shared interest of music, history, and friendship.

It’s wild to think this was the site of a bloody battle on November 7, 1811 between William Henry Harrison’s troops and Tecumseh’s men. This battle, named the Battle of Tippecanoe, is considered one of the opening battles of the War of 1812.

The park is home to a battle memorial (85 feet tall), pioneer chapel and cemetery. Below I have included photographs from my visit.