(Keywords: Sightseeing - Indiana)

Featuring: Quarries and other places of interest in Southern Indiana

statue of Joe Palooka in front of Oolitic town hall The limestone quarrying industry did not make much of a cultural or economic impact on my growing up in southern Indiana. No one in my family was ever a "cutter" and no limestone building ever overshadowed the glory of I. U. basketball or the Indianapolis 500. Indeed, the the buildings adorned with this stone are so common in Indiana that it was not until I left home that I realized how unique a limestone ranch-style house really was.

In those days, my appreciation for the quarries was limited to the convenience of a place to skip high school, and - perhaps at the expense of limestone - the movie Breaking Away (1979) - a story about how a local boy from a family of stone cutters can break the mold, compete, and earn the respect of college kids.

It wasn't until a recent trip back home, that I found new admiration for my roots in limestone country, where the facades of the Empire State Building, the Pentagon, Rockefeller Center, the National Cathedral... were all brought forth from the earth on the backs of men, who - had things been different - I could have been one of.

This GPS map includes waypoints for places mentioned In Limestone Country a book by Scott Russell Sanders documenting the history of the limestone industry in Monroe and Lawrence County.

I have also added a few bonus waypoints for nearby adventure at Brown County State Park's Hesitation Point (LC066) where you can get out of the car for an exhilarating mountain bike ride, or Yellowwood State Forest's Yellowwood Lake (LC055) where you can paddle quietly through the reeds, or hike back to the Old Statehouse Quarry (Waypoint LC018) in McCormicks Creek State Park.

Click on the binoculars to see a screenshot of Google Earth displaying Hopkins Cemetery in the vicinity of Needmore and the Empire hole. GoogleEarth_Image.jpg (Approx. 87 KB) opens in a new window.

GPS Map

Download the free GPS Map in GPS eXchange (.gpx) file format, which can be read and transferred to your GPS using free GPS software. (The .gpx file will appear in a new window where you can File > Save as... on your computer)

GPS Map Details

File Name: country.gpx
Revised: 16 July 2006
Datum: WGS84
Class A Data
Waypoints: 24 Points of Interest (quarries, cemeteries, park amenities)

Travel Tip

Empire quarry Quarries are dangerous places usually located on private property. Stories told of people dying in these quarries are legends of my childhood. In truth, too often, someone jumps from the cliffs and breaks their skull on hidden, submerged rocks. Even the careful are confronted with the potential dangers of loose footing, wildlife encounters, posion ivy, stickers...

If you want to safely - and legally - experience swimming in a quarry, I suggest you go through an outfitter like Southern Indiana SCUBA that has special arrangements with certain quarry owners/operators for the purpose of diver training.

More Info

The book In Limestone Country is a good read especially if you are familiar with, or would like to know more about this unique area in southern Indiana. I especially like the author's interviews with quarry men of past and present, who's colloquialisms strike a cord with my own vernacular.