As far as I know, no one else has done such a book as this one giving the history of the whole of Brown County, so I did it myself with the help of Rhonda A. Dunn. I cover most of the happenings in Brown County for more than 220 years up until the present time. To do this I had to make the book into two parts, the older parts are from the 1800s and that section is called simply, THEN. The stories of what is in Brown County since that time but up to today, is simply called, NOW. Then when we added the new history center, we went to three parts for this book to keep it simple to keep the history together for easier handling and reading. Brown County has changed so much in 220 years that it is amazing. But most of what we are today is what we started from actually. I think you will find this to be true if you read the book in its entirety. Most of the early settlers were from the states of the Carolinas, Virginias, Ohio and Kentucky. Many of those people or their offspring are still here today but we are having an influx of what some call “furriners” today. People today come from the cities to visit, decide they like it here as much as we do and buy up a piece of land and build a log home and stay here. It takes all kinds to make a homogenous group. I think we have done our best to accomplish that. So, pull yourself up a chair, grab a cup of coffee or iced tea, and set a spell and read all about us in this first ever fairly complete history of Brown County. Ya’ll come back now, ya hear!!

"Contains an in-depth introduction by Martin Krause and autobiographical text written by Gustave Baumann (edited by Krause) about the time Baumann spent in Brown County, Indiana. Includes color reproductions of Baumann's work and historical photographs"--

Bean Blossom, Indiana is home to the annual Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, founded in 1967 by Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass. Here, Adler discusses the development of bluegrass music, the many personalities involved in the bluegrass music scene, the interplay of local, regional, and national interests, and more.

Life was tenuous for both young and old, and the photographer often worked against time to provide a family with images of the living before his efforts became memorial. Ping photographed people at work and play. Images abound of stiffly posed groups in front of sawmills, churches, schools, and lodge halls; families in front of cabins or newly framed houses; couples with buggies; and children at play.