Sixteen years after Daisy Hinkle Garton had her beloved family farm listed on the State Register of Historic Places, prompted by a proposal to widen East Tenth Street that would have destroyed trees and encroached into her front yard, Bloomington Restorations, Inc. (BRI) has received word the Hinkle–Garton Farmstead is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With financial assistance and oversight from the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission, the original consultant for the state nomination, long–time BRI member and former board president, Cynthia Brubaker, was hired to complete work for the national listing. The National Register is the Nation's list of cultural resources worthy of historic preservation, and is part of a national effort to coordinate public and private support for these resources.

Settled in 1886 by John Henry and Laura Ann Rawlins Hinkle, the farm grew to 82 acres. The Hinkle's built their Queen Anne style home in 1892, and a smaller, Free Classic style home on the property around 1910 for their son, Henry Ernest Hinkle, and his wife, Bertha Elizabeth Rogers. Three children resulted from this union with two surviving into adulthood, Daisy Estella Hinkle and John Henry Hinkle, Jr. It was Daisy and her husband, Joseph Nathan Garton, who were the last residents of the property prior to it passing to BRI in December 2004.

The site received its National Register listing based on two areas of significance, its architectural and agricultural contributions. As an intact group of farm buildings from the Queen Anne era, it is the only such group in the City of Bloomington and one of the few in Monroe County. Now 11.08 acres, along with the houses the farmstead consists of a Midwest three–portal dairy barn, a grain crib, early garage, and a blacksmith shed. It is surrounded by mature trees and plantings, including remnants of Henry's popular flower business.

The property is now the headquarters of BRI, occupying the second floor of the main house for offices. The first floor serves a variety of purposes including museum exhibit and public program space for the organization, and outside meeting and special event rentals for which BRI members receive a 10% discount. Re–creation of the historic vegetable garden, and reclamation of the remaining flower beds, are some of the projects underway outside. The house is open for visitation the last Saturday of each month from 1–4 p.m. Special features during the opening on June 30th include old time live music, and the ongoing exhibit, Musical Notes: From the Collections of Joe and Daisy Garton, highlighting their musical careers and contributions. For more information call BRI at 812–336–0909 or visit www.bloomingtonrestorations.org

Thanks to sponsorship by BRI's founding member, Rosemary Miller, restoration is now complete on the first of several historic light fixtures that hang within the first floor of the farmstead's main house. Packed away for safety during the 2005 electric renovations, the fixture will once again grace the ceiling of the former living room. George Zajicek, who restored the light fixtures of the Indiana Theatre (Buskirk–Chumley), has carefully and artfully converted the former gas lamp to electric, and restored the mechanisms allowing it to be lowered for lighting of the wick. Four ceiling fixtures remain awaiting restoration. To sponsor a fixture, contact farmstead coordinator, Danielle Bachant–Bell at 812-336-0909 or programs@bloomingtonrestorations.org, or visit the farmstead's page of the BRI web site at www.bloomingtonrestorations.org