White Front Cafe

I stayed at the White Front Cafe Bed and Breakfast Wednesday night, thanks to the Jennings County SWCD and NRCS. It's an historic, remodeled railroad era building from the 1800's. The owners have done a very good job at remodeling it. The room was quiet and beautiful, the food and service was excellent.

My breakfast yesterday was one of the best omelets I ever ate, a western type omelet called the Pony Express. It had cheese, onions, peppers and diced ham. The service from Brittany was even better. If I were a young single farmer, I think I would be eating there quite often!

North Vernon is a neat little town about the same distance west of Cincinnati as Martinsville is east. At 6500 populations, it is about half the size of our county seat, Wilmington. The soil types are similar as they were formed in the same glacial age, the Illinoian Glacial Era. There is a town named Butlerville about the same distance east and west of Cincinnati and they look much the same to me.

The predominant soils are Clermont, Avonburg, and Rossmoyne Silt Loams. These soils are known as "crawl dad soils" as you often find crayfish mounds where crayfish live. I have noticed few mounds in recent years so I think the critters are disappearing as well as the soil description. The soils are moderately to very poorly drained and have discoloration from lack of oxygen in the top 20 inches or so.

There is a large area of "government ground" east of town and north of US 50. Purdue's SEAPAC station is about 800 acres, DNR has 3800 acres and Mascatuck Army base takes about 1000 acres. I got lost trying to find one of the farm shops I was to present in and OnStar took me on a back road where I met 100 or so Army trainees running a march up a steep hill. There was barely enough room for the Buick, let alone them.

They were training for urban warfare and many urban simulation sites have been built among the old buildings from the WPA work of the 30's. They gave me permission to drive through as they do farmers with any farm equipment during farming operations around the site.

It was a nice stay at White Front Cafe and I highly recommend it if you are passing through North Vernon, Indiana on SR 3 or US 50.

Ed Winkle