If you’re not looking, you may miss it. The Swinney Homestead sits high on a hill back off the road to the left as you head west along West Jefferson Blvd. I can imagine people who lived there centuries ago being surrounded by brush, trees, pastures, and no neighbors. Surely it would have been hard for them to believe the house would someday sit between a divided highway in the midst of a thriving city. A local group of volunteers called the Settlers maintains the home as a venue of education and enrichment for the Fort Wayne community. Each May they sponsor the "Herbs and Perennials Plant Sale & Swinney Homestead Open House." This is a good chance to purchase plants to complete the landscaping around your home or herbs for your cooking. The herbs come right from the herb garden at the Homestead. The plant sale will be held Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5. May 4, 2012 Herbs and Perennials Plant Sale & Swinney Homestead Open House 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. May 5, 2012 Second Day Plant Sale 8:00 a.m. – noon This free event is held to supplement the funds needed to maintain the Swinney Homestead, one of Fort Wayne's most historic buildings. During the sale, a gift shop is open on the second floor of the Swinney House. What fun to walk through this house and imagine the people who had lived there! Actually, it might not be too hard to imagine life during the colonial period as music, refreshments, crafts and other artifacts from that time will be on display. Since the 1970s, Settler members have provided information about the colonial way of living for the Fort Wayne community through special speakers and programs. The Swinney Homestead is located at 1424 W. Jefferson Blvd. Parking for the plant sale is free. For more information, check them out online.