Need help editing articles? Start out with the new Introduction to Editing Articles Video.
Hinkle-Garton Farmstead
The Hinkle-Garton Farmstead on 10th Street is a well-preserved example of a late 19th century farm. Although the farm has contained as many as 80 acres at times, it is currently restricted to eleven acres, bounded by Pete Ellis Drive and the CSX railroad track.
The farm contains several original farm buildings, including a blacksmith shop dating from 1901, a garage from around 1920, a barn from 1928, and a grain crib. These buildings are in addition to the main houses, a Queen Anne farmhouse built in 1892, and a gabled-ell house built in approximately 1910. The site also contains original Limestone fence posts and several 100-year-old trees.
The farm was originally settled by John Henry Hinkle and Laura Ann Hinkle in 1886. The last family owner, Daisy Hinkle Garton, died in 2003. Daisy Garton went to some lengths to ensure the preservation of the farmstead, which, due to its proximity to SR 45, is a perennial candidate for land to widen the highway, as well as being a valuable piece of real estate in its own right.
In 1992, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) first announced plans to widen 10th Street. Ms. Garton responded by having the property placed on the National Register of Historic Places. INDOT, believing the need to expand the highway to be paramount, then attempted to move the project forward using only state funds; but Ms. Garton then successfully applied to have the property added to the State Register of Historic Places as well.
Upon Ms. Garton's death, the property went to local preservationist group Bloomington Restorations, which opened some offices in the farmhouse. In 2008, with 10th Street still in need of widening, BRI will likely deed over a slice of the property facing the road.
In 2004, the city of Bloomington expanded its limits to include the farmstead, and since that time it has represented the only historic farmstead that still exists in the city.
