Travel: Metamora, Indiana

We often travel with the intent of looking into the history of places we go and like to know how and why things come about. Metamora is a little city just north of Batesville, IN off of I74. The little tourist town (a.k.a. shopping area) clearly had a list of the historic homes in the area, and a very long and important history in Indiana, but we still can't figure out how/why this little city in the middle of nowhere was ever even founded. We like learning how a place gets founded. The only issue we had in our very pleasant day was how it all came about.
We went out yesterday to see how a place we hadn't been since high school (yes, quite a few years back) had turned out. Well, it seems financial times are hitting everyone, including the tourist towns. On a beautiful upper 70s day at the end of summer, the place was a ghost-town. We were somewhat pleased with the prices we found on the "collectibles", as they were often better than in similar towns (like Nashville, IN). The shops were in OK shape, but it seemed rather run down in many areas. It was surprising how few shops actually put the effort into upkeep and presentation. We found only a couple of shops on the SW corner of the blocks that actually worked on their appearance. The homes in the area were rough and seemed almost ghetto-is in many areas.
Overall, we had a pleasant day, but wonder if the people in the area are just taking for granted that people will come to their little shops just because they are a historical sight. On a list of "place-to-go-again", I'd give it a 2.5/5. Prices were good, but the town itself needs some serious work. If you want my money, you have to work for it. Act like you care.