Many farms in LaGrange County are owned by members of the Mennonite and Amish communities. First arriving from Pennsylvania in 1841, the Amish and Mennonite have continuously farmed these dairy and livestock farms. The Amish-run Shipshewana Auction has become a tourist attraction, featuring antiques and collectibles.

This sculpture consists of a decorative “frame” of soybeans and corn kernels while the heads of four imposing farm animals are placed at the corners to stand guard over a crate of colorful bric-a-brac. There are representations of flea markets, auctions, farming, and Amish-looking people. Objects used to create this artwork include a corncob pipe, a Wendell Willkie campaign button, a still-ticking watch and a small pair of ruby slippers. The animals at the corners of this piece were an effort to provide the State Museum with its own protective gargoyles.

Designers Jeff Laramore and David Jemerson Young of 2nd Globe, an Indianapolis–based artistic company, designed all 92 of the county sculptures featured on the outside of the Indiana State Museum. Their designs narrate the counties’ famous natives, historically significant events, or their cultural heritage, and were fabricated and installed by various Indiana sculptors, carvers, glassworkers, metal workers, and other artisans.