The 1861 Flanagan/Kincaid House has crept its way one-half mile to its new foundation on the grounds of Navient, a student loan processing firm in Fishers.
The house made its journey on October 4. I was in Auburn looking at old cars that day, so I didn’t see this house hoisted and rolled away. These photos come from Indiana Landmarks. But what a feat! With brick walls of more than a foot thick, this old girl weighs many, many tons. Every inch of the move stressed the structure — bending, twisting, compressing.
Yet in every improbable photo, the house looks as proud and upright as ever.
Under threatening weather, the house made it to its destination on the Navient grounds. I couldn’t find a photo showing its placement on its new foundation — how do you line it up just right? Does a giant nudging machine to inch it into place?
I spotted the house the other day as I whizzed by on I-69. My son drove, so I got as long of a look as I could at 65 MPH. It borders and faces the Interstate, but a row of trees partially obscures the home. A pity, because its bricks would glow proudly if the setting sun could light its face.