VISITORS CAN TAKE a tour of the Hoosier state at the Indiana State Museum without ever stepping inside. The building’s limestone architecture is embedded with sculptures like birds, farm tools, and landscapes, with a handful of freestanding pieces that can be spotted on the grounds, as well. With symbolism tied to history, industry, nature, or culture, each icon of the 92 County Walk represents its respective locale. The artworks pay homage to woodworking, poultry farming—even the nation’s first train robbery in 1866. Among the most playful are these bronze turtles that appear to amble single file along a railing on the terrace representing Johnson County, directly south of Marion County. Their shells were cast from military helmets, a nod to Camp Atterbury, where four infantry divisions trained for combat in WWII, including the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd, who paved the way for desegregation in the military, and the 106th, who won the decisive Battle of the Bulge. Turtles are an apt symbol of Johnson County. Its network of ponds, streams, and forested wetlands are home to many species of aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles, particularly the Hills of Gold Conservation Area and Youngs Creek, a tributary of the Driftwood River (which feeds into White River), where they bask on logs. Among them are the painted turtle, a 15-million-year-old species adapted to Indiana winters by the antifreeze-like substance in its blood, and stinkpots, which spew a foul, musky odor. The lumbering common snapping turtle, meanwhile, looks like a dinosaur—long, sawtooth tail and all. The softshell turtle likes to bury itself then poke its spindly snout out of the sand to breath. The map turtle, with its shell that resembles an atlas, is unique because females are vastly larger than males. All sculptures of the 92 County Walk were created by craftspeople across the state—metalworkers, stone carvers, glass artists, and machinists—making the ambitious project a collaboration that reflects Indiana’s artistic community, as well as its geography.
