Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc.

Rooster and I visited the Wabash & Erie Canal site in Delphi, Indiana, during a motorcycle trip back in 2019. Everything was closed due to COVID. We heard they were having a Christmas event at the Interactive Center located there. We thought this would make an excellent adventure for our grandkids. The best part of the event was there was no entrance fee. As we all know, Rooster is cheep, cheep, cheep. Therefore, we entered the location into our GPS and headed to Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc.  

The Interactive Center at the Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc.

We entered the long building, not sure about what to expect. To our surprise, we entered a fantastic museum that featured details about the building and operation of the canal. There were a lot of hands-on learning opportunities for the girls. The displays included rope beds, a replica of the canal children could pass a boat through, and a chance to play dress up in period clothing. The girls got to visit Santa before we went outside to explore.

Playground at the Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc.

The day was warm and dry, which created the perfect opportunity to climb aboard a canal boat. The girls had fun exploring this large ship. A few interesting activities gave them a chance to work off some energy. One of them even worked up the nerve to lean out a window and slide down a pole.

The Reed Case House at the Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc.

One of Rooster and I love to tour old houses. We have visited many of the homes of former US presidents, and these tours give you a good idea about how people lived in the past. You won’t find an experience like that in any history. That was why we got excited that the Reed Case house had its doors open. The Federal-style house, built-in 1844 by Reed Case. He worked on constructing sections of the Wabash & Erie Canal. The Case family eventually moved to a larger home on Main Street, and the Federal-style house became an inn. The house was almost demolished until it was donated to  Wabash & Erie Canal Inc. and moved to its current location for restoration.

Our oldest granddaughter loved moving through the rooms of the restored house filled with antique furniture. The younger one wasn’t as excited. She didn’t find anything interesting until we reached the children’s bedroom on the second floor. We strolled through the formal parlor and listened to a man playing period music on a piano. The beds decorated with colorful quilts looked comfortable. The kitchen lacked modern appliances. It would be hard to cook a meal there.

Other stuff we sound to do at Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc

We left the Reed Case house and walked across the metal bridge spanning what used to be the canal and discovered a village of cabins occupied by people wearing period clothing.

We walked through the rooms of the first cabin.

The girls made dolls at the second cabin.

The youngest climbed a windmill.

We watched a carpenter work in his shop.

A lady demonstrated old-fashioned cookie-making techniques.

The girls played on an old-fashioned seesaw outside of the one-room schoolhouse.

We found so many interesting things to do at Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc that we lost time. The girls fell asleep in the backseat of our Chevy Spark on the ride home. This visit to the park in Delphi turned into one of our best adventures for 2021. It held a little bit of everything for the explorer to experience. If you ever find yourself in central Indiana, stop by 100 W. Washington St. Delphi, Indiana. We hear they have canal boat rides in the summer and spring. We plan to make a return visit one day. Merry Christmas everyone and a happy New Year.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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