Brief Description
Delphi is nestled in the picturesque valley formed by the Wabash River and Deer Creek. Named for the Grecian city with its famed oracle, Delphi was envisioned by early residents as a center of culture for the surrounding area. Three courthouses have graced the central square in Delphi--the "seat of justice" in Carroll County since platted in 1828 by Gen. Samuel Milroy. When the Wabash and Erie Canal cut through the area in the 1840s, Delphi became a center for industry and commerce. Handsome three-story brick buildings appeared in the 1850s and surrounded the square by the 1880s. Area residents traveled to Delphi for trade, business, and entertainment. Delphi's opera houses drew traveling acts from Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and other cultural centers. Visitors today enjoy the architectural gems downtown and in nearby residential districts plus six parks with miles of groomed hiking and biking trails. The canal era is alive in Delphi at the Wabash and Erie Canal Interpretive Center where a replica boat takes visitors on a restored section of the historic waterway.
Learn More about the Book
Delphi is nestled in the picturesque valley formed by the Wabash River and Deer Creek. Named for the Grecian city with its famed oracle, Delphi was envisioned by early residents as a center of culture for the surrounding area. Three courthouses have graced the central square in Delphi the seat of justice in Carroll County since platted in 1828 by Gen. Samuel Milroy. When the Wabash and Erie Canal cut through the area in the 1840s, Delphi became a center for industry and commerce. Handsome three-story brick buildings appeared in the 1850s and surrounded the square by the 1880s. Area residents traveled to Delphi for trade, business, and entertainment. Delphi s opera houses drew traveling acts from Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and other cultural centers. Visitors today enjoy the architectural gems downtown and in nearby residential districts plus six parks with miles of groomed hiking and biking trails. The canal era is alive in Delphi at the Wabash and Erie Canal Interpretive Center where a replica boat takes visitors on a restored section of the historic waterway."
About the Author
Delphi is fortunate to have a rich photographic record in a collection of plates made by Delphi photographers James M. Boltz and Andrew W. Wolever. Many of the photographs in this volume were selected from images produced from these plates by local historian and photographer Charles E. Gerard and donated to the Delphi Preservation Society prior to his death in 2005.
Review Quotes
1. Title: New 'Delphi' book has historical photos
Author: Taya Flores
Publisher: jconline.com
Date: 8/15/2010
Authors Anita Werling and Bonnie Maxwell wanted to bring the history of Delphi into the spotlight. To showcase the town, the two penned a pictorial homage to the city in their book "Delphi," which is part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series.
"While the book covers 1850 to about 1950, there are pictures in there that many people who are living now can relate to," Maxwell said. "It brings back many memories to people my age and older. That pleases me and it helps people to gain an appreciation for history."
A Carroll County native, Maxwell gleaned historical data over the years. The authors also had to search through primary sources, such as property records, newspaper articles and historic fire maps or documents used by insurance companies to rate businesses.
The authors, who currently live in Delphi, primarily used photographs from the collection of Charles Gerard, a Carroll County historian, photographer and writer.
"We wanted to cover well the area in the downtown historic district... and we kind of let the photographs drive that process," Maxwell said. "We tried to identify who built each one of the buildings, when it was built and all of the businesses we could possibly identify."
The authors divided the work. Maxwell did most of the research and compilation and Werling was responsible for scanning photographs and drafting the captions from the research material that Maxwell had amassed.
As a result, the book is full of black and white images and brief captions that describe the vibrant ongoings of life in Delphi over a 100-year span. The focus of the book and its photos center around the Delphi Courthouse Square and the commercial blocks surrounding it.
"One of the more fun things that we discovered were the delightful photographs of street fairs," Werling said. "One of those is of a tightrope walker with a hood, face covered, eyes covered walking across a street up on the third level of the building. But there are many other photographs of daredevil acts that took place during the street fairs in the downtown."
She said she hopes that readers not only obtain a better understanding of the architectural and cultural heritage of the city, but also understand the important role that merchants and other residents played in the development of Delphi.
"Since it is the county seat it's always been a Mecca for the residents of Carroll County," she said. "But we're hoping that it will be a Mecca or a destination for heritage tourism and draw people from many different areas to share our appreciation of its architecture and wonderful history."
Carol Wellnipz, proofread the book and is a member of the Delphi Preservation Society, said anyone who likes history is going to love the book.
"It does show what has changed and what hasn't changed and the vibrancy of the community in times past, which is what we're trying to get it back to now," she said. "I think that connecting to your roots is important and this is a great pictorial, easy way to do that."
2. Title: New 'Delphi' book has historical photos
Author: Taya Flores
Publisher: jconline.com
Date: 8/15/2010
Authors Anita Werling and Bonnie Maxwell wanted to bring the history of Delphi into the spotlight. To showcase the town, the two penned a pictorial homage to the city in their book "Delphi," which is part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series.
"While the book covers 1850 to about 1950, there are pictures in there that many people who are living now can relate to," Maxwell said. "It brings back many memories to people my age and older. That pleases me and it helps people to gain an appreciation for history."
A Carroll County native, Maxwell gleaned historical data over the years. The authors also had to search through primary sources, such as property records, newspaper articles and historic fire maps or documents used by insurance companies to rate businesses.
The authors, who currently live in Delphi, primarily used photographs from the collection of Charles Gerard, a Carroll County historian, photographer and writer.
"We wanted to cover well the area in the downtown historic district... and we kind of let the photographs drive that process," Maxwell said. "We tried to identify who built each one of the buildings, when it was built and all of the businesses we could possibly identify."
The authors divided the work. Maxwell did most of the research and compilation and Werling was responsible for scanning photographs and drafting the captions from the research material that Maxwell had amassed.
As a result, the book is full of black and white images and brief captions that describe the vibrant ongoings of life in Delphi over a 100-year span. The focus of the book and its photos center around the Delphi Courthouse Square and the commercial blocks surrounding it.
"One of the more fun things that we discovered were the delightful photographs of street fairs," Werling said. "One of those is of a tightrope walker with a hood, face covered, eyes covered walking across a street up on the third level of the building. But there are many other photographs of daredevil acts that took place during the street fairs in the downtown."
She said she hopes that readers not only obtain a better understanding of the architectural and cultural heritage of the city, but also understand the important role that merchants and other residents played in the development of Delphi.
"Since it is the county seat it's always been a Mecca for the residents of Carroll County," she said. "But we're hoping that it will be a Mecca or a destination for heritage tourism and draw people from many different areas to share our appreciation of its architecture and wonderful history."
Carol Wellnipz, proofread the book and is a member of the Delphi Preservation Society, said anyone who likes history is going to love the book.
"It does show what has changed and what hasn't changed and the vibrancy of the community in times past, which is what we're trying to get it back to now," she said. "I think that connecting to your roots is important and this is a great pictorial, easy way to do that."
