Brown County is known for it's scenic beauty with it's rolling hills. These
tree filled hills, due to a glacial ice age, are known to some as "the little
smokies" or Peaceful Valley. The fall colors, at every turn, can be
breathtaking. The spring orchards bring many to Nashville.
Many come to the hills to find a home away from home or to find their first
home. They want the simple life free from the hustle and bustle of the urban
areas. They see those real "little log cabins in the lane" and the covered
bridges. They find places called Gnaw Bone, Bear Wallow, Greasy Creek or Bean
Blossom.
The hills were isolating in the past century which caused many to become creative
out of need. Craft people were born out of the forested hills. The wood and clay
were there to be utilized for furniture and pottery. People were innovative out
of necessity.
It is thought that artists began painting the hills in the late 1800's, but T.C.
Steele was one of the first to move to Brown County to live in 1907. This
impressionist artist of "the Hoosier Group" still has a home standing in Brown
County at the T. C. Steele State Historic Site. Many others followed such as
Adolph Shulz, Will Vawter, Dale Bessire, Lucie Hartrath, Marie Goth, and Ada Shulz
to name a few. Frank Hohenberger was a photographer of the period and sold many
pictures to newspapers and magazines. You may find examples of this art work under
the link, Brown County Art.
The artists and the Indiana natives brought together a unique blend that makes
Brown County and Nashville what it is today. Steve Miller, Dale Bessire's grandson,
said it was a "special blend of art, humor, and folk wisdom".
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