By Terri Horvath
Credit for Zionsville’s first serious development of a historic walking tour goes to the Girl Scout Cadette Troop 732. In 1982, they spent hours researching the town’s architecture and historic sites.
The project started in the fall of 1981 when the girls first started to learn about the different types of architecture in town. The troop’s interest grew from there. They applied for a grant from the Readers’ Digest Foundation and received $232 early the next year. The seed money was in place.
They continued their research and enlisted the aid of historians and of the community to determine which houses were historic and deserved recognition. Upon completion of the project, the girls were able to distinguish the differences between a Carpenter building and an Italianate or Queen Anne style.
The end result was a brochure offering a short village history, map of the downtown section and location of various architectural styles. For example, the map reveals a 1920 Prairie style home, an 1860 Italianate structure and a 1870 Carpenter Builder within the 200 to 500 blocks of Cedar Street. The map also pointed out various historic sites, such as the site of the first livery stable in 1870 at 45 West Main St.
Cadettes involved in developing the tour were Jill Abbott, Cathy Callicoat, Beth Caltrider, Christy Cook, Julie Dales, Nancy Evans, Beth Hough, Stephanie Ives, Jill Kelso, Brody Lapworth, Beth McKnight, Susan Mauch, Sonja Mohr, Jody Paris, Chris Potts, Lauri Powell, Anna Rogers, Julie Snipes, Lora Wilkinson and Pam Wilkinson. Carol Powell served as troop leader with Nancy Barnes as assistant leader.
