Largely forgotten deep in the heart of Indiana, hidden the woods just nine miles north of Bedford, lie the ruins of a monument to poor planning coupled with government spending.
The limestone of Indiana contributed to some the greatest buildings in America: the Pentagon and the Empire State Building just to name two.
In the 1970s, the town of Bedford wanted the world to recognize their contributions and thus began plans to build a set of limestone pyramids of their own based on the great Pyramids of Cheops as a means of drawing more tourists to the self proclaimed "Limestone Capital of the World."
The project was funded heavily by federal grants from the EDA. By 1980 most of the money had been spent for labor and equipment to build about 50 feet of a miniature Great Wall of China, a gatehouse, gazebo, restrooms, gift shop, concession stand and museum, along with about 17 feet of the pyramid.
Seven years and almost $700,000 federal dollars later, officials of the Economic Development Administration, which funded the proposal, called the building project a spectacular failure.
Little more than a disorganized pile of stones is all that remains of the "Cursed Pyramid Ruins" today.
It's easy to imagine how the finished project might have looked and how incredible this monolithic structure could have been.
Join me as I ride my single speed bike to go explore the "Cursed Pyramid Ruins" of Southern Indiana.
The project was the dream of one man, Merle Edington, the garrulous 64-year-old head of the local Chamber of Commmerce.
When Merle Edington returned to his hometown of Bedford in 1969 to take the Chamber of Commerce job, he was looking for a way to attract tourists to this depressed area.
Since his father, uncles, grandfather and great uncles had all worked in limestone quarries or mills, limestone quickly came to mind. His idea was to build a tourist facility that would pay tribute to the limestone industry, where people could see a quarry and perhaps even a demonstration mill.
``It became a mission with him,``
At first, there was no support from either the county or the state, but when 20 acres were donated by the Indiana Limestone Co., Edington was able to get a $500,000 grant from the development administration in 1978. He got free labor through a state training program.
The pyramid, planned to be 95 feet high and 155 square feet at the base, was to use limestone blocks that had been lying around for years. The Great Wall of China and the Mayan Temple were afterthoughts, but he was able to wheedle another $200,000 from development administration to help finance them. There was worldwide publicity and a feasibility study showed the project could draw 250,000 people a year.
Edington managed to build a heliport, restrooms, outdoor pavilion, picnic tables, and even a temporary museum in the park before running out of money. Then he lost the free labor and construction came to a halt.
"The only thing we sent to Washington more than limestone is money," Edington said in 1980. "Now I got some clowns yelling at me because I want some of it back."
Edington was aiming his tart words mostly at Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.), who earlier this month handed the EDA his Golden Fleece Award for approving grants for the project.
But Edington also had local critics -- they called him "the Pharaoh" -- who said that the project seemed a waste of tax money.
EDA officials, who now concede the project was a "long shot"said the potential boon to Bedford community justified the approval of $500,000 for the pyramid in 1979 and another $200,000 for the Great Wall a few years later.
And there was no way they could have done it without Merle Edington, a man who could "sell iceboxes to Eskimos".
Edington was also descibed as having "all the finesse of a slop in the puss with a manure shovel."
Still unanswered was how people would find their way to the pyramid if it was ever finished. Visitors to the site would have had to meander through Needmore on a country road that dead ends at the field.
Edington, however, said he was not worried. "If we bring a million people a year in here, someone will do something about it," he said.
But Edington's engineer, Warren T. Hobson of Indianapolis, said at the time that "At the rate of progress he's making it will take four years. My personal view is that he's going to run out of funds after two years."
Edington had some experience in procuring state and federal grants, having previously obtained $633,000 from EDA for an industrial park in Bedford. It now has only one tenant because, he says, "the interest rates are so high."
Nevertheless, he professes no concern over spending federal money for the project.
"It meets all the requirements that some welfare mother with six bastard children uses to get welfare," he said. "When it's done, there's not going to be anything like it in the history of the world."
By 1980 most of the money had been spent for labor and equipment to build about 50 feet of a miniature Great Wall of China, a gatehouse, gazebo, restrooms, gift shop, concession stand and museum, along with about 17 feet of the pyramid.
Seven years and almost 700,000 federal dollars later, officials of the Economic Development Administration, which funded the proposal, called Merle Edington`s building project a spectacular failure.
Moreover, this small southern Indiana community had been left $55,000 in debt and Edington lost his job as manager of the Bedford Chamber of Commerce.
In late 1982, the Chamber of Commerce told Edington it could no longer pay his salary.
Edington`s story is of a dream that turned into a nightmare. Today, his pyramid and Mayan temple are just piles of ragged limestone blocks in a tourist park now closed and overrun by weeds.
Edington still thought that he had a great idea. ``I don`t talk to people about it much anymore,`` the 68-year-old Indianapolis resident said. ``What can I say? There`s no use getting my blood pressure up.``
Edington never returned to the park since he left Bedford. He spent his days painting pictures of limestone quarries and buildings.
``I`m depressed that people had such a great opportunity and let it go,`` he said. ``How many other opportunities are they passing up?
Merle Edington died of cancer on November 06, 1988 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States.
Situated about 300 yards from the hole that provided all of the limestone for the building Empire State Building, the ruins of the pyramid are fading quietly like a forgotten monolith into the long shadows of the past.
Know Before You Go
From Roadside American: Nine miles north of Bedford (about 14-15 miles south of Bloomington) on Hwy 37. At a very lonely stoplight, turn southeast onto "Old Highway 37." The street sign is very tiny; look instead for the Dollar General, Citgo station, or the BP gas station. Old Hwy 37 dead-ends four miles later at the abandoned park.
After about three miles on old 37 there is a local brewery called the Salt Creek Brewery. Once you pass the brewery, slow down! Way too many people hurt themselves on this road. It's an old highway that ends with a big yellow gate after you round a small turn. To get to the pyramid, you should know that you must trespass onto private property. The area is largely unmonitored by the police. This site is very close to a quarry that is active to this day. When you get to the yellow metal fence in the road, pull to the side of the road. Cross the yellow fence and continue on the dilapidated old 37 and the pyramid will be visible on your right.
Sources;
Indiana`s Pyramid On Rocks
Town Can`t Even Give Away Tourist Colossus
July 28, 1985|By Eileen Ogintz, Chicago Tribune.
This Indiana Attraction Might Have Been The Next Wonder Of The World, But The Ruins Are Gorgeous
August 29, 2016 by Courtney Johnston
Indiana Pyramiders Build a Monument to Tax Dollars
By Kenneth Bredemeier and
Ron Shaffer
October 5, 1981
Stock footage courtesy of;
Pexel
