Brown County State Park in Nashville in Brown County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Kin Hubbard and Abe Martin

Photographed by Lou Donkle, April 11, 2024

1. Kin Hubbard and Abe Martin Marker

Inscription.
Cartoonist and journalist Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard 1868-1930) was born in Ohio. He worked for the Indianapolis News by 1891, mainly as a political caricaturist. He created Abe Martin, his popular folksy and witty cartoon character, in 1904. Martin reflected midwestern social attitudes and his simple clothes, beard, pipe, and vernacular became iconic to readers.

In 1905, Hubbard made Brown County the setting for Abe Martin, adding other characters inspired by the region. By 1930, his comic and articles were nationally syndicated in over 300 newspapers. The State named Kin Hubbard Ridge and Abe Martin Lodge at Brown County State Park in his honor in 1932. Hubbard was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in 1967.

Erected 2023 by Indiana Historical Bureau, Peaceful Valley Heritage Preservation, Inc., and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Charity & Public Work • Entertainment • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1932.

Location. 39° 11.245′ N,

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86° 12.907′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Indiana, in Brown County. It is in Brown County State Park. It can be reached from Abe Martin Lodge Road east of Brown County State Park Road, on the right when traveling east. The marker is located off the north porch of the lodge, on the opposite side to the main entrance. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Nashville IN 47448, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Indiana.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Welcome to the Abe Martin Lodge (within shouting distance of this marker); Frank Hohenberger (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Nashville House (approx. 2.2 miles away); Brown County Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.2 miles away); Frank P. Taggart Building

Kin Hubbard and Abe Martin Marker Reverse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Lou Donkle, April 11, 2024

2. Kin Hubbard and Abe Martin Marker Reverse

(approx. 2.2 miles away); Brown County (Indiana) Courthouse on National Register (approx. 2.2 miles away); 09.11.2001 (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Old Pump House (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.

Also see . . . Kin Hubbard and Abe Martin -Indiana Historical Bureau.

Frank McKinny “Kin” Hubbard was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio on September 1, 1868. A widely published newspaper columnist and author, he was “known to millions of persons who followed the sayings of ‘Abe Martin’ daily in more than three hundred newspapers.” Hubbard also published a lengthier, weekly newspaper piece entitled “Short Furrows.” The first “Abe Martin” cartoon appeared on September 15, 1904 and the first “Short Furrows” piece ran on October 7, 1911, both in the Indianapolis News. New editions of both of Hubbard’s creations would run in the News until his death in 1930.

(Submitted on March 21, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)

Photographed by Lou Donkle, April 11, 2024

3. Kin Hubbard and Abe Martin Marker

Front entrance to the Abe Martin Lodge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Lou Donkle, April 11, 2024

4. Front entrance to the Abe Martin Lodge

Credits. This page was last revised on March 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 13, 2024, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. This page has been viewed 270 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 13, 2024, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.