Tranquility garden’s naming honors family’s legacy of service

What does it take to earn the title of Master Farmer?

Well, in 1930, according to a publication called The Prairie Farmer, it meant being:

• An outstanding farmer and manager
• A good businessman with accurate accounts
• A good husband and father who provides for his wife and family
• A good neighbor who is interested in the community’s welfare
• A good citizen who votes and works for the civic welfare of his community and country

Harry Caldwell met those criteria and more, joining 13 other Hoosiers who earned the Master Farmer title that year.

Caldwell was a fourth-generation farmer whose great-grandfather, John, arrived in what eventually would be the East Central Indiana region years before Indiana achieved statehood.

The youngest of five children, Harry went off to Purdue University, graduating in 1916.

“All he ever wanted to do was to come back and farm, and he became quite an expert in all types of animal husbandry and cropping,” said Melanie Caldwell, whose husband, Tom, is Harry’s grandson.

“They were just a solid family in the community, supporting all the 4-H functions in both Fayette and Wayne counties,” Tom said. “We didn't realize this growing up, but he was one of those guys who I think the rest of the farming community looked up to.

“Sometimes around here we hear, ‘Well, we always did it this way,’ and Harry wasn't that way. Best of all, in my opinion, he was humble. They didn't do any grandstanding. There was nothing puffed up with them. I think it was genetic. It transferred on down the line.”

Harry and his wife, Anna, ran the family farm in far-southwest Wayne County to acclaim. In addition to the title of Master Farmer, Harry earned several awards and served 13 years as president of the Indiana State Fair Board, helping oversee the construction of the coliseum that still sits on the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis today.

To honor Harry and his always-supportive wife, Melanie and Tom joined other members of the Caldwell family to give a significant donation to the capital campaign for the new Reid Health Connersville campus.

The outside space near the building’s main entrance was formally dedicated as the Harry & Anna Caldwell Tranquility Garden on Tuesday afternoon.

“It seems appropriate to have this space named after them, somewhere people could rest and relax outside the facility and get relief – whether it’s employees who might be feeling stress from the work they’re doing each day or patients and their family members who might be going through difficult times,” Melanie said.

Jason Troutwine, Reid Health Vice President and President of the Reid Health Foundation, thanked the Caldwell family for their continued investment in the community.

“One of the unique things about rural communities like those in East Central Indiana is the deep roots many families have in their hometowns,” Troutwine said. “Like the Caldwells, these families have raised generation after generation here, teaching them to appreciate all their communities have to offer and instilling in them the importance of giving back.

“We’re grateful to all the Caldwells for helping lead the way in Connersville and Fayette County for more than 200 years.”