Friday, April 18th marked our unofficial kickoff to celebrating America 250! April 18th, 1775 was when Paul Revere did his historic ride. Nathan Smiley was kind enough to bring his horse and lantern to town to replicate this historic ride. Commissioner Craig Greenwood made sure two lights were hung in the courthouse window the nights of April 18th and 19th.
The official celebration America's 250th birthday will be from June 14th, 2025 through July 4th, 2026.
June 2025
Flag Day, which is on June 14th, was the official kick off for the America 250 celebration. It was also the U.S Army's 250th birthday. Flag Day gives our country a time to reflect on the symbol that has represented us through war, peace, and progress.
Warren County kicked this off with a rededication of our two cannons that sit in front of the Warren County Courthouse. Since we couldn't fire the cannons, Larry Weatherford and Jeremy Brady, from the Vermillion County War Museum and Ward Hill Lamon Civil War Roundtable, fired muskets in their honor. They also gave a brief history about the cannons, staying after for any questions they could answer. Doug "Spike" Sowers, Becky Woodrum, and Alan Woodrum also helped present information.
In combination with the Warren County Historical Society, Warren County Historian Terri Wargo, County Commissioner Craig Greenwood, and the Warren County Community Foundation.
July 2025
On July 2, in State Line City, the new Abe Lincoln mural had a "ribbon-cutting" ceremony. Local artist Zac Cody talked about his creative process, then took questions from the attendees. Zac talked about some of the challenges he faced, including scaffolding four levels high and the old bricks soaking in the paint. The north side mural depicts Abraham Lincoln's Feb 11th, 1861 speech in State Line off the back of a railcar. Inscribed above is a quote of Lincoln's from this event. It reads, "Gentlemen of Indiana: I am happy to meet you on this occasion, and enter again the state of my early life." The east side mural incudes the outlines of Indiana and Illinois along with the flag of Indiana. Throughout both sides of the mural, Zac painted 19 stars. This symbolizes Indiana being the 19th state to join the Union.
This mural is Zac's ninth he has painted in Warren County. His latest work is done on an access point on Big Pine Creek, and his next projects are at Potawatomi Springs and a mural wall for NICHES Land Trust. Visit www.naturematters.studio for more information on Zac's murals.
August 1, 2025
We had a great Prairie Walk in celebration of America 250 at Williams Woods on August 1st! It was at 8am and we called it a beat the heat event, but the weather was cool all on its own for us. It made for a wonderful walk through the prairie restoration. Historical records from an adjacent field were used to know what plant species were in the area long ago. Charles Deam was a renowned botanist who traveled to every county and township in Indiana, including the field next to Williams Woods! His publication, Flora of Indiana, was a comprehensive guide to the plants of Indiana. We saw over 20 different species of prairie plants and flowers as we looped through the prairie. We thank NICHES Land Trust Executive Director, Shannon Stanis, for leading this hike.
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August 6, 2025
On August 6th at 6:30 pm, Dr. Kent Walters led our group on a tour of the Cicott County Park Prairie. The Community Foundation planted this prairie four years ago and the fruits of the labor are starting to be realized. There were many species of birds, butterflies, and other insects who are finding the diverse prairie to be a great place to live. We learned about how indigenous people would have done prescribed burns, which actually helps a prairie. This property will likely have an intentional burn in the fall of 2025 or the spring of 2026.
September 6th, 2025
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, George Godfrey came to Williamsport and presented the Potawatomi Trail of Death. Old Town park was the site of the talk because that is where the group of approximately 850 camped on the night of September 14th, 1838. George, a native Potawatomi Indian himself, started his presentation by talking about the beginning of the forced march at Twin Lakes, and moved west with his talk until Kansas. He then read journal entries from the days that the group was in Warren County. It included how far they had walked that day as well as how many deaths occured. Sadly, four deaths took place in Warren County. We appreciate George coming to Warren County and passing this information to us . He also said that the Fulton County Historical Society leads a caravan once every five years that travels the entire distance of the Trail of Death.
September 28th, 2025
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