MAA-Podcast-002: Harold Williams Makes Miniatures

 Harold Williams Makes Miniatures

Wheeling, Indiana

Harold Williams makes miniatures of remembered places from his hometown of Wheeling in Gibson County, Indiana. When he was young, the small town hosted several churches, a general store, and even a covered bridge, which he grew up near. After nearly 34 years working as a supervisor at Hansen Manufacturing Company in Princeton, Harold retired and began making wooden miniatures of area churches, barns, and log houses. He uses reclaimed wood from an old house, so the materials he uses are as old as the original structures his miniatures replicate. 

In 2013, Harold built a scale model of Wheeling’s covered bridge which still spans the Patoka River. His scale replica mimics not just the appearance of the bridge, but also employs the same construction techniques used in the historic structure. Harold enjoys showing his bridge and other replicas at community gatherings, where he can share stories about growing up in Wheeling and discuss the design elements of the covered bridge. 

“And one of the first questions they asked me is, ‘the bridge is so old, where did I get a print to build it?’ And I said, I had no print. I took a half a dozen measurements. And I built it using a half inch scale.”