On 12 February 1921 the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society was founded by 141 community leaders and history enthusiasts. Before that time, the first objects in the Historical Society’s artifact collection were assembled beginning in 1901 by the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Artifacts from the early historical collection were on display in the county’s first museum, the “Relic Room” at the Allen County Courthouse from 1902 to 1926. In 1927, the museum was opened in the Old Swinney Homestead and remained there until 1980 when the Historical Society relocated to the Old City Hall Historical Museum, which was renamed the History Center in 2002. The History Center continues its dedication to teaching others about the history of our community and preserving the multitude of stories and artifacts that make Fort Wayne and Allen County fascinating places. The museum’s historical collection, which now includes over 28,000 artifacts, 20,000 photographs and over 750 linear feet of archival material, is one of the largest anthologies of locally relevant historic materials in the Midwest and reflects our heritage from the glacial period to the early twenty-first century. More important than merely collecting, these symbols of the past are shared with the public through exhibits, programs and publications. Storytelling is mankind’s oldest art form and, as the leading historical agency in northeast Indiana, the History Center is one of the state’s foremost storytellers. Every artifact, image and document in the museum’s collection has a history and preserving those stories is as critical as preserving the objects themselves. This Accession Register book, from the tenure of Curator Frances Rawles (1947-1956), includes information about all of the donations and loans made to the Historical Society between 1947 and 1955. A sampling of objects from its first few pages illustrates the array of topics from the organization’s early efforts to collect, preserve and share our community’s unique history and vibrant heritage. #sociallyhistory.
Since its founding on February 12, 1921, for over 100 years, the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society has been preserving and celebrating the story of the place we call home. Join us as we take a look at the last 100 years of our history, highlighting one decade per day over the next 6 days. Today we take a look at the Historical Society in the 1960s. #sociallyhistory
PrimeTime - The History Center - September 25, 2020 Season 2020 Episode 30 | 27m 33s The History Center. Guest - Todd Maxwell Pelfrey. This area’s only in-depth, live, weekly news, analysis and cultural update forum, PrimeTime 39 airs Fridays at 7:30pm. This program is hosted by PBS39’s President/General Manager Bruce Haines.
Tomorrow we will start posting 90 Fun Facts about Fort Wayne. These 90 posts in 90 days will lead up to the celebration of the 90th Anniversary of the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society which will be on June 21 with our Annual Meeting. Join us as we explore some of the interesting facets of Fort Wayne history from 1921 to the present.
Did you know Fort Wayne once had a dinosaur factory? For the 1933-1934 World’s Fair in Chicago, Sinclair Oil commissioned the construction of life-size replicas of dinosaurs to resemble those used in their promotional materials. Local showman George C. Bischoff helped establish the fabrication efforts in Fort Wayne, and saw the project through to transportation and set up in Chicago. As one of the most popular exhibits at the World’s Fair, it garnered the paleontological interest of the general public, and established a legacy for the Sinclair Dinos throughout the twentieth century. To learn more about Fort Wayne’s role in the creation of this prehistoric exhibition, read “The Dinosaur Factory,” in our upcoming issue of the Old Fort News. #sociallyhistory
A postcard is typically a rectangular piece of thick paper intended for writing and mailing without an envelope, printed and sold by a private company, individual or organization. As an easy and fun way for individuals to communicate, they became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As with other areas of the United States, postcards were popular tools of communication throughout Fort Wayne. These postcards either featured local scenes, places of entertainment, businesses and general messages. In celebration of this unique communication tool, today the History Center shares some of our postcard collection in two rounds. #sociallyhistory
Throughout history, humanity has used numerous mediums to capture images of the world around them, including...
Throughout history, humanity has used numerous mediums to capture images of the world around them, including photography, drawing, carving and painting. For millennia, popular subjects of these images have been structures and natural scenes. Beginning in 2009, the Grand Staircase at the History Center featured several photographs and oil paintings of former Fort Wayne residents. Recently these have been replaced with oil paintings, watercolors and photographs of local landscapes and buildings. Here are some of the wonderful images that now grace the Grand Staircase. Visit the History Center to see all of them in person! #sociallyhistory
On Friday, November 4, 2022, after serving for 5,465 days, History Center Executive Director Todd Maxwell Pelfrey surpassed the final tenure of 13 predecessors, breaking a nearly 76-year-old record. Since its 1921 founding, the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, also known as The History Center, has been stewarded by fourteen principal staff leaders, the first of whom was hired in 1923. The previous longest tenure record was held by Charles Cherry, who served 5,464 days with the title of curator from 1932 to 1946. Over the generations, the titles and duties of the lead staff members of the historical society have fluctuated and morphed, reflecting national trends in heritage, memory and museology. During its first decades, as was commonplace with local heritage associations throughout the country, the organization presented popular history without tremendous concern for academic footing or deliberate context. In the middle of the 20th century, as the new fields of applied history and public history emerged, the organization hired its first true museum professionals. Instead of “curator,” the top position was soon accorded the more dynamic title of “director,” reflecting the museum head’s greater roles in administration, fundraising, public relations and other responsibilities. The position of museum director was then seen as a distinct specialty while museum curators concentrated on collections and facilities management. For the History Center, this shift began in the late 1970s and solidified after the historical society relocated from the Old Swinney Homestead, its headquarters since 1927, to the Old City Hall Building in 1980. The title of executive director has usually been favored since the 1980s. The museum was rechristened The History Center in 2001. Pelfrey served in several staff positions after joining the museum in 2004. On November 19, 2007, he was named executive director — the first person to be promoted to that position from within the organization. With Pelfrey at the helm of the 101-year-old organization, the History Center has completed 14 consecutive fiscal years with operating surpluses, secured 13 of its 15 highest annual operating revenue totals (including the nine highest), hosted the 14 highest annual attendance totals, as well as conducted four of its five largest capital campaigns (including the two largest). The History Center remained solvent throughout the pandemic and is preparing to embark on another major renovation to its main facility next year. After 15 years, Pelfrey says he is consistently humbled, honored and delighted to serve the organization during its unprecedented growth, and with this foundation he is eager to continue making the History Center everything it can be for this community. #sociallyhistory;
For many years, just inside the History Center, sat a familiar artifact for many Fort Wayne residents; a cannon, mounted...
For many years, just inside the History Center, sat a familiar artifact for many Fort Wayne residents; a cannon, mounted upon a wooden carriage, pointed out of the entrance as if it were defending the other artifacts inside the museum. This cannon, crafted in Scotland in 1776 by the Carron Company, has a long-attributed history. The cannon has been reported to have been taken from the British after their defeat by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie, and as a result has often been used as a monument to the War of 1812. However, based on the available information, the “Perry Cannon” is probably not one of the guns captured by Perry at Lake Erie. While this object is certainly familiar to most visitors to the museum, most in Fort Wayne do not realize just how familiar a sight it has been over the course of our city’s history. The cannon was owned by Franklin P. Randall and used as a hitching post outside of his home at the corner of Lafayette and East Berry. Following his death, it was given to the city as a memorial to the War of 1812 and it resided in Hayden Park. It remained in there until 1930, when it moved to Swinney Park. In 1960, an authentic replica gun carriage was created, and placed upon a cement pad near the Swinney House Museum. Director David Drury, 1965 to 1973, is pictured with the cannon and a group of schoolchildren in front of the Swinney House Museum in 1965. In 1980, the Historical Society closed its museum at the Swinney Homestead and reopened in its current location at Old City Hall in October of that same year. During this time, the cannon was moved to Historic Fort Wayne and set up outside the visitor center. In 1994, the “Perry Cannon” was removed from the fort and taken to the Old City Hall Museum, where the cannon rested in the same spot for over a quarter century. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was removed from display to allow for proper social distancing. For over 150 years, the “Perry Cannon” has captured the imagination of Fort Wayne residents. Although its connection to Commodore Oliver Perry or the Battle of Lake Erie can be questioned, its legacy as a moving monument to the War of 1812 cannot. #sociallyhistory
One of the most popular objects on display in the second-floor hallway at the History Center is our permanent wave machine. Women began waving their hair and cutting it into a short bob in the 1920s. Allen County followed the trend. This fashion movement was not only a political statement, but a practical one as women began taking on more and more factory jobs. In the early twentieth century, hairdressers discovered that by applying chemicals and heat to a woman’s hair, they could create waves and curls that would last for days, weeks, or months. Because these machines were in salons, not in homes, going to the “Beauty Parlor” became a social event. Women would sit underneath this permanent wave machine while their hair was attached to the various curler attachments. #sociallyhistory
Work continues on the History Center's First Impressions renovations. Here are some images of the new Welcome Desk and the progress being made in the other areas of the museum.
On Thursday, August 31, 2023, the History Center held a dedication and ribbon cutting for the First Impressions renovations. Through this initiative, approximately 40% of the History Center’s first floor has been updated through the largest interpretive remodeling in a generation and the largest privately funded capital campaign in the organization’s history. The enhancements encompass over 3,700 square feet from floor to ceiling through designs created by exhibit designer Exhibit Concepts of Dayton, Ohio and implemented by general contractor Schenkel Construction of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
A condensed and refined gift shop portion of the Parker Family Welcome Center will allow visitors a better greeting and retail experience. The popular “Land of Three Rivers” orientation video and plush, new seating will greet guests in the Chapman/Waterfield Orientation Theater. The inaugural temporary displays will include “Confluence of Cultures: The Peoples of Allen County” in the Cultural Corridor and “21st Century Relic Room” in the Slane Rotating Gallery. The binding motif of First Impressions will introduce the social history that patrons will experience throughout the galleries, reinforcing the Rivers of Time, People of Place, Sense of Heritage theme that has defined our community since time immemorial.
The Relic Room was Fort Wayne’s first history museum. It began when the local Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) was formed in December 1901 and started collecting local artifacts soon after. The museum officially opened on September 23, 1902, the day of the dedication of the fourth and present Allen County Courthouse. The Relic Room remained in the courthouse for over twenty years. It has been over 120 years since the original Relic Room displays were debuted in the current Allen County Courthouse. Over that span of time our community founded our historical society, weathered the Great Depression, persisted through two World Wars, witnessed the landing of humankind on the moon, assisted in the proliferation of modern technology, and survived the worst global health disaster in generations. Thousands of important artifacts, archival collections, and photographs have made their way into the collection of the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society during that time. Some artifacts featured in this display are from the original Relic Room and others are relatively recent historical society acquisitions (donated within the last decade or so), and represent the people, places, and events that define Fort Wayne and Allen County. #sociallyhistory
Come and see more of one of our inaugural displays following the newly finished First Impressions renovations. “21st Century Relic Room” is located in the Sue Ann Slane Rotating Gallery and will be on display through the end of December.
Capturing the world around us has been a goal of humanity since the beginning of time. This ranges from the prehistoric...
Capturing the world around us has been a goal of humanity since the beginning of time. This ranges from the prehistoric cave paintings to modern digital images. In the late 19th century, real photo postcards played an important role in documenting Fort Wayne’s history. Unlike the inexpensive printed picture postcards made just after the turn of the 20th century, real photo postcards were produced from actual photographs. These photographs were printed with a stiff paper backing, and included a printed stamp location box on the reverse, making them both a postcard and actual photograph in one. Images ranged from everyday life to disasters and events of local note. Real photo postcards exploded in popularity when Eastman Kodak introduced the 3A Pocket Folding Camera in 1903. When the 3A was introduced, it opened up an opportunity for anyone who could afford one to record their family or an event, and mail the resulting image to others. Today we share some of the postcards from our collection, both real photo and photo. #sociallyhistory
To learn more about real photo postcards, read “Fort Wayne ‘Real Photo’ Postcards,” in our latest issue of the Old Fort News, available at the History Center or at the below link: Fort Wayne “Real Photo” Postcards
Fort Wayne's History Center was recently the site of a first floor renovation, and evening anchor Linda Jackson takes...
Fort Wayne's History Center was recently the site of a first floor renovation, and evening anchor Linda Jackson takes you there for this week's very interesting #LindaLikesIt.
One of the most relaxing things to do is to read a good book. Books have their beginnings in the clay tablets used in the civilizations that formed in Mesopotamia. Books as we know them today became prevalent with the invention of the movable type printing press in 15th Century Germany. World Book Day is an annual event organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. The first World Book Day was celebrated on 23 April in 1995, and continues to be recognized on that day. Today the History Center shares some of the many books that have been placed into our collection over our 103-year history. Take some time to enjoy a book by yourself or others today! #sociallyhistory
As any musician in Allen County will tell you, one of the most important instruments is the drum. It creates and keeps...
As any musician in Allen County will tell you, one of the most important instruments is the drum. It creates and keeps the rhythm and beat of song going. We all know that the percussion section gets people out of their seats and onto the dance floor. Within a few notes of the drum or cymbal, we can identify our favorite tunes. The earliest drums were found in China from the Neolithic era and date to around 5500 BCE. Every culture has its own drum with a unique shape, style and sound. Since May is International Drum Month, the History Center shares some of the drums that are in our collection. Take sometime today to celebrate by appreciating or creating a beat. #sociallyhistory
This week we bid a fond farewell to three decades of wear and tear in our luxurious Shields Room. The installation of...
This week we bid a fond farewell to three decades of wear and tear in our luxurious Shields Room. The installation of the new carpet is complete! Our new carpet was made possible through the generous support of the Shields Family Foundation.
Come by the museum and check it out!
In the evening following a meal a phrase is often uttered, “What’s for dessert?” Desserts have changed from natural...
In the evening following a meal a phrase is often uttered, “What’s for dessert?” Desserts have changed from natural candies and nuts to complex soufflés and multi-layered cakes. In modern culture, there are many more options available in desserts. Every year on October 14, National Dessert Day is celebrated around the United States by way of the local bakery, grandma's house or chocolate shop, desserts include candies, pies, ice cream, fruits, cookies, pastries, cobblers, and donuts, too. The available ingredients affect the range of desserts made in each region. The very first desserts required minimal effort or preparation since ancient cultures were more focused on the nutrition in foods to survive. Throughout the year, we see seasonal delights. As we near the holiday season, the flavors change. In honor of National Dessert Day, we share some of the dessert related items that can be found in our collection. Take some time today to indulge in your favorite dessert! #sociallyhistory [ Little Elf was made by the Bursley Company here in Fort Wayne. ]
Doll houses with kitchen and dining accessories as we imagine them today began to appear in the play rooms of...
Doll houses with kitchen and dining accessories as we imagine them today began to appear in the play rooms of Aristocratic youth in the Early Modern Period. By the late 19th century, doll houses featuring appliances, dinnerware, and kitchen furniture were more easily manufactured of ready-made materials and were therefore more accessible to families outside of the aristocracy. It was not uncommon for the kitchen equipment in these doll houses to actually work. Metal pieces could be heated by using candles or even by hooking appliances to the household gas supply. Service sets were made in miniature, often with the same materials and the same level of craftsmanship. As is often the case, play mimics the realities of life, and many of these domestic toys were geared towards girls. During this period girls were expected to learn skills to eventually run their own kitchens. Functional miniature appliances and replica dinnerware fell out of favor as the 20th century progressed, although domestic toys featuring facsimiles of kitchen and dining items are still popular toys for children today. Visit the History Center to see our new temporary exhibit “Early 20th Century Kitchen & Dining Toys.” #sociallyhistory
