Tucked Away

I sometimes take alternate routes to places I need to go, especially if it's through the countryside. I like to discover hidden places or surprises (such as the elk farm that I found out near Mulberry when going to visit my dad) and it's fun to see what pops into view.

Yesterday I went 140 West as I drove to the barn. I've driven it before, the first time being surprised to discover this old and stately beauty:

As West Lafayette grows to the north, it is creeping closer and closer to this brick home from Tippecanoe County's earlier history.

My mother told me it used to be an inn and possibly a mail stop. I can easily envision carriages pulling up to it, women in long skirts or beautiful gowns climbing out and being escorted inside by men dressed in frockcoats and cravats. (Okay, so maybe I have read a few too many British historical novels.)

Currently I am reading Alexandre Dumas' masterpiece, The Three Musketeers. When I read about the out of the way places they meet as they work to thwart Lord Richelieu's machinations, I picture this place in my imagination.

If only this beautiful old building could divulge its secrets. En garde!