One of the most unusual streets I have been on in my small town adventuring is in the village of Shirley, Indiana. This former railroad town was founded in 1890. According to the U.S. Census, the town’s population peaked in 1910 with over 1,500 residents.

At just over 800 residents today, there’s not a lot left of the town. However, I had seen a picture on Pinterest of the Burger Man Statue which can be found atop a pole outside an old carry out on Railroad Street. He resembles a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon and is a sight to behold in person.

If you want to know more about Burger Man, I discovered that blogger and Indiana history extraordinaire Ted Shideler wrote about it. Read his story here. It’s pretty awesome.

But before I saw the Burger Man, I saw this mural. Isn’t it gorgeous?

And then there was this train car.

AND this old depot turned museum!

But wait! There’s more! Next door to the depot is this Octagon House!

The Jane Ross Reeves Octagon House is just one of a few octagon homes remaining in Indiana and it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s open for private tours and I would like to arrange something next year. I have never been inside an octagon house before! Learn more about it at their website.

You can also learn more thanks to this newspaper account.

So! I went for a vintage advertising statue and got the statue, a train, a depot, a mural and a cool house! All in one block. What more could a gal want?

Small towns really are the best.