I've lived in Indiana my entire life, and today I learned something I never knew before about the Hoosier state. Did you know that there is a chunk of land - about 50,000 acres of oak trees - that is protected and maintained by the United States Navy? Seems kind of strange that the branch of the military known for spending time on the water would have anything to do with a bunch of trees that are more than 700 miles away from the nearest ocean. The story behind this forest is really neat and will serve as your Indiana history lesson for the day. Keep reading, it's pretty friggin' cool.

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What is Constitution Grove?

"Constitution Grove" is the name of a 50,000-acre white oak forest located in the town of Crane, Indiana. The land is part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, where their focus is "Harnessing the Power of Technology for the Warfighter. Sounds pretty intense, right? Well, the forest on this base serves a less intense, but no less important purpose - to supply lumber used to refit, restore and maintain the USS Constitution.

What's So Important About the USS Constitution?

The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is one of six frigates (warships) built for the U.S. Navy back in 1797. She is the only one left and is the oldest commissioned wooden ship in our navy and is still sailing to this day. Those ships were built, mainly, out of white oak. The amount of white oak trees in America is much smaller than it was in 1797. Luckily, for the USS Constitution, the navy was prepared for this situation and planted their own supply of white oak many, many decades ago. The result is Constitution Grove. With the help of You can understand why it's so important to maintain this important and beautiful piece of American history.

38 Celebrities Who Were Born in Indiana

There are a bunch of famous folks that everyone knows were born in Indiana, but there are even more that you didn't know about. Most of this list is arranged in alphabetical order, except for the handful of celebrities born in our neck of the woods here in southern Indiana. I gotta give them a little preferential treatment.

Gallery Credit: Bobby G.

Take a Delicious Journey Along These 21 Indiana Food Trails

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Indiana Foodways Alliance has the MOST food trails in America. Taste the very best that Indiana has to offer when it comes to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. Plan to visit some or all of these yummy stops all throughout the Hoosier state.

Gallery Credit: Bobby G.

Postcards from Indiana's Past Showcase the Weird and Wonderful

Apparently, there is quite a market for old postcards on eBay. I found some really interesting ones, some even have handwritten messages on them. Basically, postcards were the original text message.

Gallery Credit: Liberty