Page 76 - Demo
P. 76
74Dr. Pirtle%u2019s Surgery As John started setting up his tripod and camera, I began to enter data about the shot into our Apple laptop. For this particular frame, I was able to type in all the pertinent information, except the address. %u201cMain Street,%u201d I thought to myself, %u201cIt%u2019s probably Main Street.%u201d But, just to be sure, I got out of the car, walked to the corner, and looked up, only to discover there weren%u2019t any street signs. Just then, I spotted a lone tattooed man, dressed in worn jeans and sleeveless sweatshirt walking a rambunctious German shepherd. The pair had just emerged from an alley and were headed down the sidewalk. For some reason, despite his biker-like appearance, and his big dog, I wasn%u2019t at all intimidated. I just knew he%u2019d know the name of the street. And, he did%u2014Ledgerwood. %u201cLedgerwood?%u201d I repeated.He kindly explained that Carlisle was one of the few Indiana towns whose main street wasn%u2019t Main Street%u2014it was named instead for a city father. With that settled, he smiled and asked what we were up to. When I said we were intrigued by the %u201cDr. Pirtle%u201d on the top of the building, he became exuberant. Why, he knew all about the good doctor. When John strolled over, he told us how, in the early days of the town, it had been handy having Dr. Pirtle across the street from the saloon. That way, when someone got shot or stabbed in a bar brawl (apparently a common occurrence), it was a simple matter to carry the victim across the street and up the stairs to the surgery. He then added the fact that there was still a small operating room upstairs, complete with an overhead skylight.Thus began our acquaintance with Doughboy. Originally from Connecticut, he had, indeed, been a member of a motorcycle club. He was also a disabled veteran (Airborne), and was an accomplished chef. And he lived on the first floor of Dr. Pirtle%u2019s building. His apartment had once been a motorcycle shop, which is what drew him to Carlisle. When the business folded and the space was converted into a residence, he promptly moved in with his dog, Sigmund.Building detail (Dr. Pirtle building), Carlisle%u2014Sullivan Co. (497-06)