The town of Story is located in an isolated part of Indiana near the southwestern boundary of Brown County State Park. The charming little town is like a time capsule from days gone by. The rustic old buildings and vintage advertising looks as if it is something from a movie set but it dates back to a time when farming in the remote area was done by hard working farmers.
The town got its start in 1851, when Dr. George Story was granted a land patent from president Willard Filmore. Dr. Story was a physician who lived in Ohio and came from a family in the lumbering business. He moved to his property in Indiana and built a home and an office where he practiced medicine. He built a few other buildings which attracted settlers to the area. In time the village grew to have two general stores, a church, a one-room schoolhouse, a grist mill, a sawmill, a slaughterhouse, a blacksmith’s forge and a post office. In the 1880s when the post office was established it was officially given the name of Story.
The little town prospered in the early 1900s but due to unseen circumstances the town dwindled away to almost a ghost town. Farming the hilly and rocky area was a challenge and when the Great Depression hit many families gave up farming selling their land to the government. When Lake Monroe was created by damming Salt Creek the road that went through the town became a dead end and travelers no longer passed through the old community.
In the 1970s the town was sold and the historic general store and home was converted into an inn and restaurant. In 1999 the town once again fell on hard time and was sold at auction to new owners. Rick Hofstetter, an Indianapolis attorney and preservationist, and Frank Mueller, a German-born restaurateur purchased the town and have managed to convert it into a delightful little town with an inn, cafe, BBQ joint and gift shop. It is a long winding road from the popular tourist town of Nashville to get to Story, but it is worth the trip to visit this charming and historic place.
Since the 1970s, guests and employees have claimed to see an apparition of a woman wearing white robes and she has been given the name “ the Blue Lady” . She is believed to be the wife of Dr. George Story and they say she has hypnotic blue eyes.
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In The States, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.