Stained Glass at the Story Inn

When you visit Story, you will see some lovely old stained glass windows in the old General Store.  Despite the fact that these windows match the vintage of the building, they were not originally a part of it. 

At the entrance, you will find three panels, the center panel having a gothic-style top, flanked by two rectangular panels.  These windows were acquired in the 1970's by Benjamin and Cynthia Schultz, who successfully converted the building from a country general store into an inn.  They purchased all three windows upon the demolition of a church in Southport, Indiana.  The left panel (viewed as you are standing inside the restaurant proper) reads "YPL 1918" and the right panel reads "Geo. Burck, Family," in apparent reference to the church benefactors. 

To the left of the three-panel entrance, suspended from the ceiling, you will see two lovely old rectangular windows, with no markings.  These windows have a fascinating history.  Originally, they were placed in the Central Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Yellow Springs, Ohio, a congregation founded in 1866 by Reverend Charley Jones.  Yellow Springs had a vibrant African-American community and was a stop on the "Underground Railroad" prior to the Civil War.  As best as we can tell, the windows were installed in 1911, fifteen years after the construction of the "new" church at Davis and High Streets in 1896. 

One of our wine-loving patrons, Nicholas Crome, rescued four large windows when that historic edifice unfortunately fell victim to the wrecking ball in 1972.  The windows were in rough shape at the time.  Nick stored the windows in his barn in Ohio, until he moved them to Story in late 2005. 

One of Story's employees, an artist (primarily stone carver) by the name of Rob Rogers, has taken the lead in cleaning and restoring all four panels.  The first two of these went on display in the restaurant on Thanksgiving Day, 2005.  These elegant windows are of great significance to the African-American community in the Midwest, as priceless as the General Store building itself.  We thank Nick for allowing us to share them with our guests.