Romine book focuses on Blakesburg, Fincastle

Thursday, June 15, 2017
Malcolm Romine book, “Blakesburg and Fincastle Local Memories,” is now available at the Putnam County Museum.
Courtesy photo

The newest published book of memories by Malcolm S. Romine has hit Putnam County Museum.

“Blakesburg and Fincastle Local Memories” is now available in the Putnam County Museum gift shop for $20.

In the book, the history of Blakesburg, sometimes known as “the Vanished Village,” is compiled from essays and few sources since the history books documented very little about it. Blakesburg was the first village established in northern Putnam County. Little more is known about Fincastle.

Romine was driven to write about the two little villages before all of their history was lost to time. He believes he has found things no one has ever published about these early villages of Putnam County.

Only a whisper remains of the village of Blakesburg. Now, the astonishingly still active, Blakesburg Cemetery and the old hotel kitchen cellar are all that remain of what once was Blakesburg.

Fincastle still has a heartbeat, with U.S. 231 pulsating through it daily. Along the sides it still has a few private homes, including the red brick church building that was converted into a private residence in 1994.

While most of these two villages may not have been able to stand the test of time, their memories still last in the minds and hearts of those that experienced the times in these beautiful northern Putnam County villages.

The museum, located at 1105 N. Jackson St., Greencastle, is open 1-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The phone number is 653-8419.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: