Brookville would always be special for Steele, because it was a quiet place where his family and friends could come together and enjoy themselves. Steele and John Ottis Adams bought a house in Brookville in 1898. The house that they bought was later named by Steele’s wife Mary, who called it, “The Hermitage.” Steele and his family and friends stayed at the Hermitage for most of the time that Mary was ill, so that they could be close to friends. Mary died in Brookville in 1899 after suffering with rheumatoid arthritis for several years. It would always be hard for Steele to be in Brookville after Mary’s death. Steele came to grips with her death in 1904 when he returned to Brookville and decided it was time to move on after being depressed for several years.

The Hermitage in Brookville, Indiana where T. C. and Mary Steele lived with J. Ottis Adams and his family. http://images.indianahistory.org

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