Ken Weddle Learning Center for Sight-Impaired Children

Ken Weddle lost his vision to an eye disease called macular degeneration. His biography can be read on the outside wall of this center. He was the father of the long-time Director of Clay Hill Memorial Forest, Gordon Weddle.

A teacher from Green County Elementary School who participated in one of our Outdoor Classroom Institutes gave us the idea to build this center. She instructed children who had visual impairments. She taught us that we could use our other senses to look at the world around us and see it in new light.

We wanted to construct a center where children could learn about nature by touch. We also wanted to build this center using locally obtainable sustainable materials. We enlisted help from HomeGrown Hideaways . The couple that own this company taught us how to build sustainable structures. This tree bench is made entirely of local clay soil, sand and straw which was mixed with water on a tarpuolin and formed into loaves called cob. The structure is made of tons of this material shaped entirely by hand. The finish plaster was a mix of very fine cob with cattail fiber added to make it stronger. Finally the entire structure was whitewashed several times forming a waterproof outer covering. The colors are from natural pigments blended with the whitewash.

The tree represents the Celtic Tree of Life . The polished rocks in the tree were collected by Ken on one of his trips west. Many of the other rocks and artifacts imbedded in the tree have significance to the Weddle tree of life. The owl entwined by the roots of the tree was copied from an original painting on driftwood. Dorthy M. Weddle, Ken's wife, painted this when she was about 75 years old. It serves as the logo for the Joan White Howell Environmental Education Center.

The lumber used in construction of the deck and covering of the building is all from Casey County. We purchased over 2,000 board feet of yellow poplar lumber for this project. We dried this lumber in the James Sanders White Lumber Kiln that you passed earlier on this trail.

Enjoy the visit, set on the cool bench, touch the fossils, close your eyes and see the sounds of nature.

 Published 30 May 2014 ;  last modified 27 March 2018          © Clay Hill Memorial Forest 2014