Historic Pierceton Guided Walking Tour
Hosted by Pierceton Public LibraryWalk through Pierceton’s downtown with local historian and archivist Joan Hostetler and discover its hidden stories during the Heirloom Tomato Festival.
Event Details
Walk through Pierceton’s downtown and discover its hidden stories. Join Pierceton native and archivist Joan Hostetler for a guided tour during the Heirloom Tomato Festival.
- Stroll past beautifully preserved Italianate buildings from the late 1800s.
- Hear the dramatic story of the 1895 fire that destroyed half the commercial district.
- Learn why tomatoes and antiques are woven into Pierceton’s identity.
- Discover which U.S. vice president lived in town during the Civil War era.
- At a special behind-the scenes stop, visit the rarely-seen temple room of the Masonic Lodge, designed by Pierceton architect Frank Logan.
WHERE TO MEET: The tour departs rom the west side of the Old Train Depot at 11:00 a.m.
LENGTH: About one hour (walking slowly along First Street)
COST: Suggested $10 donation (benefits the Whitko Community Archive’s efforts to preserve local history)
IMPORTANT: Contact Joan Hostetler at heritagephotoservices@gmail.com or 317.771.4129 to reserve a spot. Don’t wait—the tour has sold out in past years. Limited to the first 30 people.
SHARE YOUR HISTORY SCAN-A-THON
Visit the Pierceton History Hub in the the Old Train Depot before and after the tour to share stories about Pierceton’s history. Bring along your local or Indiana photos, postcards, and documents to be digitized (and returned) for our online archive and The Indiana Album.
Hosted by the Pierceton Public Library with assistance from the Pierceton Heritage Association.
This program received support from a Historic Preservation Education Grant provided by Indiana Humanities and Indiana Landmarks.