Kokomo

September 26 I hit Kokomo, Indiana.  The main reason I wanted to go there was because I heard that The Beach Boys wrote their song "Kokomo" about it, but after doing some research that doesn't seem to be the case, but it is still a nice place with a ton to see. 

Yep

"Kokomo is a city in the middle of Indiana and is also a small resort owned by Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay; the title was made up. It was supposed to represent all the tropical places and images that people think of when wishing to get away to some paradise island to escape the dreary work life." - songfacts.com/detail.php?id=505

Giant Praying Mantis

Kokomo is considered the city of firsts.  There were 17 "firsts" that happened here including the first commercially built automobile, first carburetor, first aerial bomb with fins, first National bank, first canned tomato juice, etc...

Vermont Covered Bridge

One of the places I stopped to see was the Monroe Seiberling's Manison.  The house took two years to build starting in 1889; Monroe Seiberling decided to build and live in Kokomo because natural gas had been discovered here earning his family millions.  It is a beautiful home costing around $50,000 (they were banking it and wanted everyone to know it).  They only lived in the house for four years before moving to Peoria, Illinois.  Over the next 70 years the mansion would be home to two doctors, a minister, and Indiana University.  In 1967 the mansion was leased to Howard County for $1, as long as they agreed to renovate.  On August 12, 1973 the museum formally opened.  For the next 41 years the mansion would go through constant updates and renovations to get what you see today.  In the 70's the owner would let the neighborhood kids roller skate in ballroom on the top floor.

Seiberling's Mansion

My next stop was at Elwood Haynes Museum, he was really smart and unlike the Seiberlings, he was humble.  Haynes is the the builder of America's first commercially successful gasoline automobile; the 1905 Haynes Model L.  The automobile didn't make Haynes rich; his car was much more expensive than his competitors car; Ford's Model T.  Haynes spent most of his money producing his cars, but luckily he discovered Stellite, which kept him rich for the rest of his life.  

1905 Haynes Model L

My tour guide at the Elwood Haynes Museum was Tim Rivers, who knows a lot about Haynes and was really excited about the Haynes legacy and even let me sit in the 1923 Haynes Model 77, which he drove off the lot for the car show.  Kokomo is a great little town to visit, it even has a glass blowing company; Kokomo Opalescent Glass Factory, which you can tour, but only at 10 am on weekdays, so I missed the it, but the other people on my tour said it was really interesting.

1923 Haynes Model 77