[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2063-E2064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CORYDON BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION--CEDAR GLADE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARON P. HILL

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, earlier this year, I made remarks with 
regard to the Celebration of the Bicentennial of Corydon, Indiana, the 
county seat of Harrison County 19 miles west of Louisville. Noting the 
rich history of this community, it was a privilege for me to share with 
my fellow members and the Nation my affection for this community, and I 
have appreciated being involved with their Bicentennial Celebration.
  On October 5, the town of Corydon will again gather to celebrate its 
history at a classic Ice Cream Social at one of the community's most 
historic sites, Cedar Glade. Cedar Glade is one of the oldest homes in 
Corydon--and certainly one of the most beautiful. It was built in 1808 
by Jacob Kintner and his wife Agnes--the same year Corydon became a 
town. Over its two centuries, just three families--Kintner, McGrain and 
now Bennett--have owned Cedar Glade.
  The name Cedar Glade stems from the rows of cedar trees Jacob Kintner 
planted on the property--those trees accentuating the many native 
cedars found in the area, and especially on the hillsides along Indian 
Creek, which runs through Corydon.
  No one seems to know exactly from where Jacob Kintner came--or the 
source of the wealth he possessed when he arrived in Corydon. In fact, 
it is not known exactly when Kintner arrived in frontier Indiana--but 
he was definitely one of the first to do so.
  The land on which Kintner built Cedar Glade was entered into the 
property rolls in his name in 1808, the year he built the house, and 
the year the town of Corydon was laid out. At that time there were only 
a few dwellings in the town--and certainly none as large or stately as 
Kintner's Cedar Glade. Speculation is that Kintner came from Virginia, 
where records record his marriage to Agnes Crist. The couple's Corydon 
home is architecturally similar to those of the time in Virginia.
  Cedar Glade had Corydon's first water works, with Mr. Kintner laying 
pipe from springs behind the home to supply ever-flowing clear and cool 
spring water to the house, barns and his tan yard across the road. Few 
homes anywhere in those early days would have had such a system.
  During the Civil War, in July 1863, Confederate General John Hunt 
Morgan crossed the Ohio River and launched a raid into the North. After 
the brief Battle of Corydon south of the town, Morgan set up a siege to 
persuade the town and its Home Guard to surrender by lobbing artillery 
shots over Corydon. While many of those cannonballs landed in the yard 
of Cedar Glade, none actually struck the house.
  Luck also saw this property through tight spots during normal, 
everyday occurrences. While in the ownership of the McGrain family, a 
potentially disastrous fire could have destroyed the home. While 
burning corn cobs in the fireplace, a flaming cob jumped out and landed 
on the wood floor. The problem was noticed in time and the flames were 
extinguished before fire could envelop the house. However, a section of 
the wood floor was badly scarred. When Bud and Betty Bennett, the 
present owners, refurbished the home, that part of the floor was 
purposely not refinished--leaving the history evident and visible 
within the home.
  One of the Kintner sons, Peter Shipley Kintner, lived a far-flung 
life of ease, often traveling abroad. After Jacob Kintner's death, 
Peter--the world traveler--``traded'' Cedar Glade in 1849 to Thomas 
McGrain, Sr. for a business building on Main Street in Louisville. 
McGrain moved from Louisville to Corydon--and young Peter Kintner moved 
to Paris, France. When Peter died, his remains were shipped back to 
Corydon and he was buried in the family plot on Cedar Hill. Of course, 
this was before the age of refrigeration and embalming, and Peter's 
body was shipped across the Atlantic in alcohol.
  Life went on at Cedar Glade with the McGrain family in a style 
similar to the Kintners. The McGrains had 12 children, and the home was 
a hub of social activity. After the death of Thomas McGrain, Sr., his 
wife Matilda McGrain married Corydon attorney John Q. Gresham, who 
became a Union general in the Civil War and later served as a judge. He 
went on to become Postmaster General and Secretary of the Treasury in 
the cabinet of President Chester A. Arthur, and finally Secretary of 
State under President Grover Cleveland. All the while--and for more 
than 100 years--Cedar Glade was the McGrain family home.
  Today, Cedar Glade is the home of Bud and Betty Bennett, and the 
family seat of son Larry Bennett and daughter Pam Bennett Martin--all 
prominent in historic preservation and the civic affairs of Corydon and 
Harrison County. In

[[Page E2064]]

fact, Bud Bennett is currently the President of the Main Street Corydon 
Board of Directors and has been active in Rotary and other community 
organizations since moving to the town in 1960. Throughout this time, 
his wife Betty has been the anchor of the family, often pushing Bud and 
their children to give to their community.
  Betty, Bud, and Larry purchased the home in 1999 and conducted an 
extensive renovation updating it to modern standards and adding a new 
rear bedroom suite to the home. The process required two contractors--
one adding the addition and another updating the main house. Particular 
attention was paid to preserving the structure's historic value. After 
more than 3 months of diligent, backbreaking work it was completed.
  I am grateful to the Bennetts for preserving this treasure in 
Corydon, and the community is richer for Cedar Glade's history and 
contribution to the Corydon landscape. In recognition of Cedar Glade's 
Bicentennial, as well as that of Corydon, I want to again congratulate 
its citizens and wish them well at the October 5 event. I look forward 
to seeing how this unique and wonderful town develops for decades to 
come.

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