The past comes alive in this quaint southeastern corner of Indiana. A restored 14 mile stretch of the Whitewater Canal , cuts through the middle of this historic town.
Dating back to the 1830s , Metamora, meaning "beautiful woman", this small village has a rich history. Much of which can be experienced as one can watch grain being ground in a real gristmill, enjoy a leisurely horse drawn carriage ride, feed the ducks, and shop in the many speciality stores and restaurants.
As an added treat one can ride the Whitewater train or take a canal boat ride on the replica Ben Franklin 111, through the last wooden aqueduct in the United States.
In its heyday,mules walked alongside the waterway pulling the flat bottomed boats along the heavily trafficked 76-mile long, man made canal, having 56 locks and seven feeder dams it served many communities in southeastern Indiana.
Farmers used the canal to send livestock and produce to market, With the coming of the railroad, the canal became obsolete, and its use switched to powering nearby grist mills.
With the passing of the railroads and development of our highway system , the population of Metamora dwindled, and the town might have disappeared had it not been for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, which, in 1947, renovated the Metamora grist mill, a portion of the canal, and the aqueduct to establish the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site.
Today, Metamora is a community of retirees, artists, and shop owners who take great pride in the town's 1838 canal and collection of historic buildings, which attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Drawing 1,000 vendors and 100,000 to 200,000 visitors, the highlight event of the year is Canal Days, an annual event scheduled the first weekend in October during which the autumn leaves are in full color.
Visiting on a Sunday morning offers the rare opportunity to worship in a church with a genuine hand pumped hand organ.
Combine all this with the annual Christmas Walk and you have the perfect formula for a getaway week-end almost anytime of year!
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