Just a Milton Minute, March 6

In and around Milton

• Heavy trash pickup is Wednesday, March 6.
• Next council workshop is Thursday, March 7, from 6-7:30 p.m.
• Daylight saving time begins in the early hours of Sunday, March 10. Don’t forget to “spring forward” and set your clocks ahead … if they don’t automatically reset themselves.
• Next regular council meeting is Tuesday, March 12, at 6 p.m. The public may attend. Contact the clerk in advance if you wish to have your name added to the agenda.
• Next park board meeting is 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, at the municipal building. The park board meets every other Wednesday and public attendance is welcome. The group is currently focused on the CreatINg Places project at the old Milton school property.
• Clerk’s office will offer extended hours March 13-14. Open 8 a.m. — 6 p.m.
• Save the date! Milton’s bicentennial falls on July 5, and plans are underway to celebrate our town’s 200th birthday.

If you want to volunteer, share ideas or get involved in the bicentennial celebration, reach out to council members or the clerk’s office, and/or attend the next council meeting or workshop for more information. Get involved now as the celebration will be here before you know it! 

The traveling Whitewater Canal sign

Phyllis Mattheis recently reported to the Canal Society of Indiana about the adventures of the “traveling Whitewater Canal sign” and her quest to find the best location for it in Milton.

After attending two town council meetings and taking the sign to have the year of the canal, “1845,” added in reflective green numbers, the sign landed at the old Milton school property. 

“As too often happens, the local brick school building had been removed …. However, the huge stone entrance to the school had been saved and reconstructed. New streetlights enhance the sidewalk along the west side of SR 1. The town board agreed to install the CSI sign on one of the light posts, so the arrows point the correct directions and the streetlight makes it readable at night.  

“The canal prism lies just a couple of blocks east of SR 1, so when you are traveling through Milton, IN, take a little detour to see the route of the canal, best seen from the Seminary Street bridge. The tall utility poles mark the line of the canal through town and south, also at the north edge of town where they cross SR 1 and a west side field and head north.  

“Another section of the canal has been preserved just a little north of Milton, along the west side of Boyd Road, which becomes Center Street in Cambridge City. The Whitewater Canal was constructed to the National Road (now U.S. 40) in the 1840s.  Let’s hope the new sign has stopped traveling for now.”

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The canal is a brief but important part of Milton’s 200-year history. The town was platted in 1824 and early businesses are said to have included a grist mill, blacksmith and harness shop, followed by other stores and a post office in 1825. Unfortunately, the National Road passed 2 miles north of Milton, but the “Dinkey” connected Milton to the interurban line that ran from Indianapolis to Richmond once upon a time.

Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway Annual Dinner

The Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway is once again hosting its annual dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, according to Milton resident Cathy Vandivier. 

Doors will open at 5:30 at Third Place, 734 Main St., Brookville, Indiana. The dinner event is filled with all kinds of news about the byway. Also, the Spirit of the Byway Award will highlight a recipient who most showed their Spirit in the development and devotion of the Whitewater Valley.

Guest speaker will be David Willkie from Rushville, founder of finance company Willkie Ventures. Willkie has been involved in politics, served as a business industry expert for a television news program, and much more. He is also the founder of Willkie Days “Five in 50” Covered Bridge Bicycle Ride held in Rush County. His grandfather was presidential candidate Wendell Willkie.

The Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway annual event is always a good time and a great chance to learn about the Whitewater Valley, according to Vandivier. For reservations and more information, call 765-647-2541. —jsp

Special thanks to Phyllis Mattheis and Cathy Vandivier