DAZE WORK: It’s a sign of the times ... or is it really?

The City of Greencastle is in the midst of finding its way in a wayfinding world.

Wayfinding, you see, is kind of a newfangled, fancy way of providing directional support.

Signage, signage, signage.

Wayfinding “encompasses all of the ways in which people orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place” -- at least if you can believe Wikipedia.

And I’m not so sure we can believe Wikipedia since one of my earliest experiences with the Internet source was trying to upgrade its Dixie Chopper entry while I was that company’s public relations director. Got banned from Wikipedia for providing nothing but truth and accuracy about the ”World’s Fastest Lawn Mower.”

But I digress. Wayfinding has been something city officials have been talking about off and on the past couple of years. Eventually its benefits will provide consistent signage in size, color and lettering for pointing out directions, destinations and attractions within the city.

But what the project is also supposed to is create are new welcome signs at the main entries to Greencastle.

Right now there appears to be a stumbling block in what these signs might say, other than perhaps Greencastle, population 10,530.

So what would you like to see posted on the entrance to Greencastle signage?

Greencastle, an All-America City?

Greencastle, home of DePauw University?

Greencastle, Abraham Lincoln slept here?

Or Greencastle, John Dillinger robbed us blind in 1933.

Mayor Bill Dory has suggested we use Greencastle’s founding date. Problem with that is nobody is absolutely certain what that date is, although it seems pretty apparent we’re closing in on our 200th birthday.

At the recent Redevelopment Commission meeting, the mayor said he has called Putnam County Historian Larry Tippin and Greencastle’s own resident smarty pants, Jinsie Bingham, for their input.

The possibilities are endless ...

-- Founded in 1821 – Ties to original land patent to Ephraim Dukes. Was it Dukes’ intention in 1821 to establish a town? Dory wonders.

-- Founded in 1824 – Ties to Ephraim Dukes’ date of gift to agent of Putnam County.

-- Platted in 1824 – Ties to the original plat of Greencastle. As noted in plat book 1, page 4 (which is almost illegible) Ephraim Dukes platted Greencastle in June 1824.

-- Established in 1830 – Ties to the sale of the first lot in the original plat of Greencastle.

-- Founded in 18XX – Date it became the Town of Greencastle. “Not really sure what date to say it was founded,” Tippin responded. “The unincorporated town of Greencastle was platted by Ephraim Dukes in June of 1824, but the town was not incorporated until 1849 (that's the date shown on the ceramic city seal created by the late Richard Peeler in the 1990s and displayed with the water rate story on today's front page and on this website). So not really sure what one would say the year it was founded.”

-- Incorporated in 18XX – Date it was incorporated into the Town of Greencastle. An old Crawfordsville newspaper article refers to Greencastle as a town in 1861.

So who designated towns back in those days?

“Pretty much all municipalities started out as towns,” Tippin said. “After reading a certain population threshold and by vote of citizens a town could become a city. I believe the current population threshold for voters of a town to consider becoming a city is 1,000. Not sure what it was in the 1800s.

“Oh, and I forgot to note,” Tippin tells me. “Even though the original plat for Greencastle was recorded in the plat books in 1824 (remember, it is almost impossible to read), Dukes would have almost certainly drawn up the plat in 1823 prior to transferring the title of the town to Amos Robertson, the land agent.”

So as the recent RDC meeting discussion waned, the mayor suggested either 1823 or 1824 seemed right for the founding date.

“With no objections, I’d say we go with 1823,” Dory said, noting that date can at least be tied back to a couple official records.

There was silence that could easily be interpreted as confusion.

“If you Google it, it comes up 1821,” RDC member Lottie Barcus said via Zoom.

That’s the Wikipedia version as well.

Says it was “founded in 1821 by Ephraim Dukes on a land grant.”

But then again, don’t believe Wikipedia. They might just ban us all.