Page 88 - Demo

86The Hay Press As our car idled next to the rustic gatehouse of O%u2019Bannon Woods State Park, we wondered if our trip might be unrewarded%u2014again. When we%u2019d visited a few weeks earlier, we%u2019d forgotten about the time-zone difference and had arrived after closing. Today, even though it was just before lunch, we decided to ask the gate attendant if he could check and see if someone was manning the Nature Center. He smiled, and said %u201cNo problem.%u201d After a brief exchange on the phone, he said %u201cYes, somebody is definitely there. I%u2019m sorry to say that the hay press won%u2019t be in operation though, but you can sure take pictures of it. Good luck.%u201d For a still photographer like John, no movement was a plus, so we drove on through.Within minutes we were walking past the Pioneer Prairie Garden, approaching a large reconstructed timber-frameand-pegged barn. As I stopped to admire the dark-pink cone flowers, John headed toward the nearby Nature Center, where he knew there would be someone who could let us into the loft so he could photograph the main workings of the 3-story hay press.Once inside the attractive modern structure, he found parttime DNR Interpreter, Carla Striegel, on duty. John had met Carla, and Richard Langdon, a couple of years earlier through the Sun Oak Trading Post, which they operate in the town of English. They sell regional handmade art and crafts%u2014as well as our Studio Indiana books. After sharing mutual greetings, they strolled back to the barn.With a whoosh, Carla unlocked, and swung open, the barn doors at the top of an earthen ramp. She explained how this 1850s hay press was one of only about 12 left in the country, and it was the only one that had been restored. She said there used to be hundreds of them dotting the Ohio River Valley. Most were located in Ohio and Indiana, where a combination of good soil and temperate climate was ideal for growing hay. This was an important business because, prior to the age of automobiles, hay was an indispensable fuel for hungry horses in America.Using the press was a relatively simple procedure. Local farmers brought in loose hay and forked it into a rectangular box. Then, with the help of a draft animal, a heavy wooden block (weighing 800%u20131,000 pounds) was forced down onto the hay, compacting it into a compressed bale. Once tied with twine, it was transported by boat or barge to markets such as Louisville. Though primitive by today%u2019s standards, this device was state-of-the-art in its day.As John photographed the handmade machine, I strolled out back and became acquainted with Lion, a magnificent chestnut ox who was harnessed to the hay press during public demonstrations. Decoratively adorned with protective brass balls on his horn tips, he was aloof and proud. He contrasted, in every respect, with his corral mates%u2014a pair of gregarious graybrown donkeys.All too quickly, John was done shooting. With his equipment packed up, we said farewell to the animals and Carla. It had certainly been worth the return visit. %u2014LBHay Press, O%u2019Bannon Woods State Park%u2014Harrison Co. (577-07)