When exploring the abandoned, it is important to plot out multiple destinations and use the back roads. In Eastern Indiana, author Amanda Bennett-Cole was fortunate to discover antiquated houses, schools, and even a church. Exploring Eastern Indiana required numerous eight-hour road trips through several small towns that are no longer depicted on maps. A small town's survival depended on these roads before highways were built. Once upon a time, towns popped up all throughout the country along the railroad lines that connected the country's coasts. Rich agriculture and peaceful meadows in Indiana have given place to villages with cobblestone main streets and lush residential neighborhoods. The ruins of the buildings and landscapes that earlier generations left behind, from the Federal-style buildings of an early pike town to the drive-ins and 1940s-era eateries, enable you to trace the nation's westward expansion.