Small Towns
"No I cannot forget where it is that I come from
I cannot forget the people who love me
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be"
- John Mellencamp - Small Town
"In my little town
I never meant nothin'
I was just my father's son
Saving my money
Dreaming of glory
Twitching like a finger
On the trigger of a gun
Leaving nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town"
- Paul Simon - In My Little Town
While there is truth about small towns in both songs, I find John Mellencamp's tune to be absolutely sunny compared to Paul Simon's. From birth to high school graduation I found myself in a succession of little communities: Oakland City, IN, Ada, OH, Union, IN, Shawneetown, IL, Loogootee and Cannelburg, IN. My freshman class at Indiana University was four times bigger than the largest of those towns. It was quite an adjustment, but I quickly learned to love the anonymity of being in a big place where folks did not know my name or recognize my face. It felt good to carve out my own identity instead of being known in the community as John and Helen's son. Fortunately, the grapevine that my parents used during my high school years to find out what stupid acts I had committed, did not reach to Bloomington.
I am still drawn to small towns and love to get off interstate highways and cruise through the burgs that people in a hurry have no time for. Those little adventures are almost always rewarded with an interesting building, a small church, or a great diner with homemade pie and something bathed in brown gravy.
Based on my observations, small town life is dwindling as young people, finding little to anchor themselves to where they grew up, seek better opportunities elsewhere. One of the anchors in farming communities was the local elevator. Since elevators didn't have the comforts of the town barbershop, they weren't as popular as gathering places, but they still attracted a group of regulars who hung out there.
I found this one located next to the railroad track in Fortville, IN. While it has seen better days, it holds on to its status as the tallest structure in town. Like other buildings in small places that have fallen on hard times, spaces that once were windows and doors are now covered in particle board. This elevator was particularly attractive in the early light that featured its different tones and textures. Places like this keep me on the back roads.
