FRIDAY FROM THE ROAD... County Court Houses on the Indiana National Road The Indiana National Road passes through 8 different counties. Five of those counties’ courthouses are located on the road. Travelling west to east you will be able to see county courthouses at Terre Haute, Brazil, Indianapolis, Greenfield and Richmond. Four of these were built around the turn of the 20th century and the one in Indianapolis was built in 1962. When Jonathan Knight first surveyed the National Road for the federal government in 1827 three of the towns, Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Richmond, were already in existence and he routed the road through those towns. The towns of Brazil and Greenfield were later developed on the road and eventually became the county seats. The three counties that do not have their county seat on the Indiana National Road are Putnam - Greencastle, Hendricks – Danville and Henry - New Castle. As the Indiana National Road Association tagline reads: "MAKE HISTORY. DRIVE IT." Written by Pat Chase, Board of Directors, Indiana National Road Association. https://indiananationalroad.com/board-of-directors/ #nationalroad #nationalscenicbyway #greenfieldhistoricalsociety #indianaarchivesandrecords #hoosierhistorylive #indianalandmarks #indianahistoricalsociety #indianahistoricalbureau (fb)

FRIDAY FROM THE ROAD… The National Road - The Duesenberg - The Indy 500 It’s the month of May with an estimated 350,000 fans coming to Indianapolis to attend the 109th running of the legendary Indianapolis 500! Duesenberg racing cars won the Indianapolis 500 in 1924, 1925 and 1927. The 1924 race Duesenberg won with the Duesenberg Supercharged Special (the first time a supercharger was used in the 500 mile race). The 1925 Duesenberg win marked the first time the race was won in under five hours, with an average speed of 101 miles per hour. Just 2 miles from this world-famous racetrack, on US 40/Washington Street/National Road is the former Duesenberg headquarters where the factory was also located. Both Duesenberg cars and their race cars were manufactured at this location. The factory was often bedecked in bunting and flags and became one of the highest profile auto manufacturers in the city with a prime location on the National Road. The plant operated on 17 acres, at 1501 West Washington Street from 1920-1937. One surviving building, known as “Building #1”, has been repurposed for the Indianapolis bus line (IndyGo) headquarters and garage. You can now see the restored “Duesenberg Motor Co.” name painted on the red brick facade from Washington Street. The fainted 1920’s sign was discovered by the Indiana Automotive Historical Society. The group worked with IndyGo commissioned Indianapolis artist Chris Blice to refurbish and repaint the iconic image. Duesenberg was founded by brothers Fred and August (Augi) Duesenberg, both are in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. Fred Inducted in 1922, and younger brother August was inducted in 1983. The first Duesenberg Indy 500 winner Joe Boyer is also in the IMS Hall of Fame, inducted in 1985. He is listed in record books as the co-winner of 1924 Indianapolis 500. He took the checkered flag at the wheel of the Duesenberg started by another driver, L.L. Corum. Joe Boyer took this car from fourth to first, winning at a record 98 miles per hour. Duesenberg Motor Company went out of business in1937 due to a combination of factors, including the Great Depression. The company’s luxury cars were expensive and struggled to compete with more affordable options during the economic downturn. Duesenberg was purchased by E.L. Cord and his Auburn Automotive Company. We highly recommend a drive by “Building #1, located on the south side of Washington Street/US 40 (National Road) and visiting the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana. One of the current exhibits is “Duesenberg, The Evolution of America’s Finest Motorcar”. This exhibit is showcased in the Art Deco Showroom of the Museum. https://automobilemuseum.org/exhibits#duesenberg-the-evolution-of-americas-finest-motorcar #nationalroad #nationalscenicbyway #greenfieldhistoricalsociety #indianaarchivesandrecords #hoosierhistorylive #indianalandmarks #bliceedwardsinc #indianahistoricalsociety #indianahistoricalbureau #indianapolismotorspeedway #auburncordduesenbergautomobilemuseum #indycar #indy500 #indygo Sources: Indiana Landmarks, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Historic American Building Survey, IndyGo, Indiana Automotive Historical Society (Indiana Landmarks Affinity Group), Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. (fb)