The Great depression and World War II “In our generation, we knew how hard it was to come by things and make money last. . . . [I]t was something that stayed with me because I realized how quickly it could all be taken away.” — Betty Gehrke, Whiting, Indiana on IndianaHistory.org.
Today in 1856: Woodrow Wilson, 28th president, is born.
This $100,000 note was the highest denomination ever issued by the United States and it includes a portrait of President Wilson.
During the early 1930s, the world's economies experienced a depression. In 1934, the U.S. continued its movement toward removing its currency from the gold standard. The Gold Certificate Series of 1934 poses a slight puzzle since the United States was off the gold standard by 1934. The $100,000 note shown here was not intended for general circulation but was used as an accounting device between branches of the Federal Reserve.
Did you know? Depression Glass is clear or colored translucent glassware distributed free or at low-cost around the time of the Great Depression. Most of this glassware was made in the Ohio River Valley. Common colors are clear, pink, pale blue, green and Amber.
Our Highway Commission collection keeps surprising us with interesting finds!
These photographs display what's possibly a road painter vehicle from the 1930s.
A comment to the original post included a newspaper article showing this vehicle: Painting the center lines on Indiana's highways from The Waterloo Press, Waterloo, Indiana, Thursday, Dec 22, 1938, Page 8
The National Archives was one of the first buildings in Washington with air conditioning. The building was designed in the 1930s to safeguard the records, and the vault-like structure included an air conditioning system that could maintain 70 degrees in winter and 80 degrees in summer throughout the entire building. Relative humidity was kept at 55 percent in stacks and 45 percent in workrooms.
Officials wondered if the relatively cool air elsewhere in the building would pose a health problem to staff. Surgeon General H.S. Cumming wrote this letter regarding the health risks of air conditioning on National Archives staff.
Did you know chocolate chips were invented AFTER chocolate chip cookies? That's why the original recipe calls for a cut-up semi-sweet chocolate bar!
Chocolate chip cookies (usually called chocolate crunch cookies or Toll House cookies early on) were created by Ruth Wakefield in the mid-1930s. They became so popular that Nestle bought the rights to the recipe in 1939 and began selling chocolate chips in 1940 specifically to make the cookie-baking process even easier!
Onset of the Great Depression reduces vehicle purchases in Fort Wayne to 4,353 from 7,538 the previous year, when the stock market crashed. Local vehicle sales drop to a Depression low in 1932, at 1,484.
Lincoln Trust Co. opens Lincoln National Bank in Lincoln Tower, which builders began constructing a month after the stock market crash. Of the dozen local banks at the start of the decade, only Lincoln National and Peoples Trust & Savings Co. survived the Depression without reorganizing.
Dudlow Manufacturing Co. sold to Addison Holton of Detroit, the forerunner of Essex Co.
Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. assets top $1 billion.
1930s Hoovervilles popped up around the country during the Great Depression. The largest in Fort Wayne was in the thumb of the 3 rivers now Headwaters Park. By 1939 the last of the shanties had been torn down. The area was known as the Jailhouse Flats since the first jail built there in 1825.
Which of these vintage sunglasses is your favorite? Watch to discover how sunglass styles changed from the 1930s to the 1970s! Still curious? Read an article from 1950 about sunglass fashion! https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-press-specs-of-fashion/151184284/
On the night of August 7, 1930, Abram Smith and Thomas Shipp were lynched in Marion, Indiana. Smith, Shipp, and a third young man, who narrowly escaped the same fate as his companions, were arrested on suspicion of the murder of Claude Deeter and the rape of Mary Bell.
A mob of men, women, and children began to form outside of the Marion jail, where the men were being held. As news about the shooting and racially charged rumors circulated, the mob grew to somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 people, "perhaps the majority of the inhabitants of Grant County," according to historian Emma Lou Thornbrough.
The mob forced entry into the jail, took Shipp and Smith from their cells, then beat, abused, lynched, and mutilated the two young men. Their bodies were not removed until the next morning. Since there was no black mortician in Marion, the pastor of Muncie's Shaffer A.M.E. Chapel retrieved the young men's bodies and took them back to his church to shield them from further mutilation.
#OTD in 1930, Black teenagers Abram Smith, 19, and Thomas Shipp, 18, were victims of a racial terror lynching in Grant County. Accused of murdering a white man and raping a white woman, the pair were dragged from their cell, beat, and hung before either could stand trial.
James “Jimmy” Cameron, the third teenage suspect, narrowly survived the attempted lynching. He later became a civil rights activist and founded three chapters of the NAACP in Indiana, served as the State Director of Civil Liberties under Indiana Governor Henry Schricker, and founded the America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1930, August 20 - Fort Wayne newspapers report the first city bank robbery of Broadway State Bank at the corner of Taylor and Broadway.
The straight story on 'Machine Gun' Kelly OK, for the last time: George "Machine Gun" Kelly did not rob a bank in Fort Wayne in 1930. It wasn't him. He was innocent, at least of that particular crime. It was another George Kelly. August 9, 1990 by Richard Battin in SUMMIT CITY HISTORY NOTES in
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Don't miss the story of what Fort Wayne newspapers called Fort Wayne's first bank robbery during Poached Yeggs: The Story of the Robbery of Broadway State Bank, August 20, 1930 during the George R. Mather Sunday Lecture Series this Sunday, Jaunary 3 at 2pm!
Broadway State Bank --Fort Wayne, Indiana Nov 11, 2016 Allen County Public Library on YouTube This clip is a short piece that is part of a longer series of Fort Wayne landmarks documented on open reel video tape in the 1970s. The series was made possible by the Fort Wayne Public Library, now the Allen County Public Library. This segment was recorded August 11, 1976 at 1930 Broadway in Fort Wayne, IN.
Camera and Editing by Steve Fortriede.
1930, September 10
The National Archives was one of the first buildings in Washington with air conditioning. The building was designed in...
The National Archives was one of the first buildings in Washington with air conditioning. The building was designed in the 1930s to safeguard the records, and the vault-like structure included an air conditioning system that could maintain 70 degrees in winter and 80 degrees in summer throughout the entire building. Relative humidity was kept at 55 percent in stacks and 45 percent in workrooms.
Officials wondered if the relatively cool air elsewhere in the building would pose a health problem to staff. Surgeon General H.S. Cumming wrote this letter regarding the health risks of air conditioning on National Archives staff.
It's #waybackwednesday! This photo captures the first air mail to leave Fort Wayne, Indiana from Smith Field in 1930! ✈️ View this image and more in our Community Album: http://contentdm.acpl.lib.in.us/
Zollner Piston Co. relocates to Fort Wayne from Duluth, Minn., building its new headquarters and factory next to a major factory of International Harvester, which was the nation's largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer. Zollner Corp. had invented the aluminum piston, which found favor with the heavy-truck industry because it was much lighter and quieter than the iron versions made by competitors. Copied from the 1930 to 1939: Decade of bankruptcy & bureaucracy is various newspaper articles from the Fort Wayne History Stories about time periods in the archives of
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
1931 - the tulip tree (Liriodendron Tulipifera), also known as yellow poplar, was adopted as the official state tree of Indiana (Indiana Code 1-2-7). See Indiana State Tree and Flower by the Indiana Historical Bureau.
Today is National Beer Day, an unofficial holiday marking the first day in over thirteen years that Americans could legally drink beer due to the enactment of the Cullen-Harrison Act on April 7, 1933. Before this act, law enforcement would often seize illegal shipments such as the one pictured here from the (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette in 1931.
According to the Allen County Public Library, the truck ran off the road and upset its trailer, which was loaded with illegal beer. The driver fled in the cabin part of the truck. Sheriff Fred Lunz and his deputies righted the trailer, which had Michigan plates, and seized approximately $1,000 worth of Regal Canadian beer. They searched surrounding garages, but never found the cab or driver.
BEER SEIZED - Description: Pictured is the trailer loaded with beer which was seized by Sheriff Fred Lunz and his deputies Monday morning about 10 o'clock when the trailer ran off the road and upset on the Maysville Road at Lunz's corner. The trailer was righted and towed to the Allen County Jail where the picture was taken. Sheriff Lunz and his deputies just started to unload the beer and carry it into the jail when this picture was snapped. A search was made for the cabin part of the truck in all garages in and near Fort Wayne, but no truck has been found. The trailer broke loose from the truck. Regal Canadian beer valued at approximately $1000 was seized by the sheriff. The trailer carried Michigan license plates and an effort is being made to check the numbers. Photograph appeared in the Journal Gazette 1/14/1931. Photo by Clippinger.
BEER SEIZED - Description: Pictured is the trailer loaded with beer which was seized by Sheriff Fred Lunz and his deputies Monday morning about 10 o'clock when the trailer ran off the road and upset on the Maysville Road at Lunz's corner. The trailer was righted and towed to the Allen County Jail where the picture was taken. Sheriff Lunz and his deputies just started to unload the beer and carry it into the jail when this picture was snapped. A search was made for the cabin part of the truck in all garages in and near Fort Wayne, but no truck has been found. The trailer broke loose from the truck. Regal Canadian beer valued at approximately $1000 was seized by the sheriff. The trailer carried Michigan license plates and an effort is being made to check the numbers. Photograph appeared in the Journal Gazette 1/14/1931. Photo by Clippinger.
It's #waybackwednesday! Did you know that Einstein made a stop in Fort Wayne?! As described colorfully by the News-Sentinel, "the bushy haired exponent of the theory of relativity" made a brief stop here after a reception in Chicago.
In 1931, WGL broadcasts the first professional basketball game.
When the Fort Wayne Hoosiers made the American Basketball League playoff finals in 1931, it was big news, especially since the Hoosiers were playing in the finals for the third time in four years. In fact, the Fort Wayne Basketball Association sponsored a radio play-by-play of the first game at Brooklyn, including pre-game interviews. It is believed to be the first time ever a professional basketball game was broadcast live on radio.
There had been previous games where reporters would call in reports while the contest had been in action. One of those reporters was Gunnar Elliott, who made the live calls on this game. According to reports, Elliott sat in a small both at one end of the 23rd Armory in Brooklyn.
According to Todd Gould’s book ``Pioneers of the Hardwood,’’ ``the broadcast was unrefined and filled with static, but it was live.’’
Fort Wayne lost the game and the series. Led by Homer Stonebraker and Benny Borgman, they turned Fort Wayne into a basketball hotbed. Stonebraker, a 6-foot-4 center, was called the best basketball player alive by Abe Saperstein of the Harlem Globetrotters, and Borgman led the ABL in scoring five times, with a high of 11.2 points in 1927. Future Indiana coach Branch McCracken was also a member of the 1931 team.
Maybe the highlight for the Hoosiers was beating the world-famous New York Rens on Jan. 27, 1929, a shocking upset at the time.
Shortly after the 1931 series, the Hoosiers and the league disbanded, ending a near decade-long run as one of the nation’s best pro teams. Most of the teams returned to barnstorming.
1931, May 1 - President Herbert Hoover attended the grand opening of the Empire State Building in New York. The 103-story skyscraper was constructed with 18,630 tons of Indiana limestone.
1931, October 18 - Thomas Edison died with a record 1,093 patents, including 389 for electric light and power.
1932, March 1 - Charles Lindbergh III, the 20-month-old son of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh, was kidnapped from his family's new mansion in New Jersey. Although ransom was demanded and paid, the infant was killed the night of the kidnapping and was found less than a mile from home. The heartbroken Lindberghs ended up donating the mansion to charity and moved away. In the aftermath of the crime—the most notorious of the 1930s—kidnapping was made a federal offense.
1932, May 21 - Amelia Earhart landed in a field at Culmore, near Derry in Northern Ireland, after flying solo across the Atlantic – she was the first woman to achieve this amazing feat. See British Newspaper Archive blog.
Amelia Earhart made headlines when she completed a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean on May 21, 1932, becoming the first woman to do so.
This front page article reported: "Through rain and fog, with an engine that was slowly giving way to the strain of many flying hours, Amelia Earhart Putnam today drove her red monoplane safely across the Atlantic to a landing in a pasture."
1932, September 16 - Abraham Lincoln bronze figure by Paul Manship dedicated downtown on Harrison Street in front of Lincoln Financial Group. Called "Abraham Lincoln the Hooiser Youth," it depicts Lincoln when he lived in Indiana. Photo on Downtown Fort Wayne on Facebook. \
Fort Wayne National Bank founded at 123 W. Berry St. to fill a void left by the closing of Old-First National Bank and Trust, which was shut down after a run by fearful depositors six months earlier.
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.
1933, March 2
ON THIS DAY // On March 2, 1933, the Indiana General Assembly adopted the cardinal (Richmondena cardinalis cardinalis)...
ON THIS DAY // On March 2, 1933, the Indiana General Assembly adopted the cardinal (Richmondena cardinalis cardinalis) the official state bird of the State of Indiana.
Also known as the redbird, the cardinal is the state bird of seven states: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia. The bright red males are easily spotted, especially in the winter. Females cardinals are brown with a dull red crest.
Cardinals remain in Indiana year round and nest in thickets of brambles or low saplings. The eggs, 2 to 4, are bluish-white with brown markings.
1933, March 4 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt says We have nothing to fear, but fear itself at his inauguration
1933, March 22 - President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Beer-Wine Revenue Act amending the Volstead Act and permitting the sale of beer and wine with an alcohol content of less than 3.2% by volume. The act represented the first relaxation of the prohibition laws since 1918 and was followed up at the end of the year with the passage of the 21st Amendment repealing prohibition.
Cheers! 🍻 Today is National Beer Day, but do you know why? In March 1933 — several months before Prohibition was...
Cheers! Today is National Beer Day, but do you know why? In March 1933 — several months before Prohibition was repealed completely on December 5, 1933 — President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which re-legalized the sale of low alcohol content beer in the U.S. Before that bill went into effect on April 7, 1933, beer had been illegal in the states since Prohibition began in 1920.
Images: Congressional beer crusaders witness signing of beer bill. Members of Congress today witnessed the actual signing of their hard fought battle for legalized beer. Surrounding President Roosevelt at his desk in the Cabinet Room are, left to right: Representatives Claude V. Parsons of Illinois; John W. McCormack of Mass.; Clerk of Committee, H.V. Hesselman who brought the Bill to the White House; and Representatives John J. O'Connor of New York; Thos. H. Cullen and Adolph J. Sabath of Illinois, 3/22/33. Harris & Ewing Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Detail of "The Indianapolis Times" front page from April 6, 1933. Headline reads: "Nation Will Welcome Beer Back At Stroke of 12 Tonight." From the Library of Congress Chronicling America Archive.
1933, April 5 - Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6101 which established the Civilian Conservation Corps to provide jobs for young men during the Great Depression while implementing a general natural resource conservation program. See The Library of Congress for photos. It was disbanded in 1942 as the country geared up for World War II.
1933, April 7
National Beer Day is celebrated annually on April 7th to commemorate the enactment of the Cullen-Harrison Act on April...
National Beer Day is celebrated annually on April 7th to commemorate the enactment of the Cullen-Harrison Act on April 7th, 1933, which legalized the sale of beer with an alcohol content no greater than 3.2%.Prohibition was fully repealed later that same year. However, 3.2% beer was consumed legally and celebrated widely at the time, thus it has become a significant historical anniversary marking the huge societal change. April 6th is often referred to as New Beer’s Eve as a play on words. Featured here are photos of various beers that were locally produced both before and after the Prohibition era. #sociallyhistory
1933, April 19 - FDR takes U.S. off the gold standard to combat the Great Depression.
1933, May 6 - FDR creates the Works Progress Administration
1933, 10 May - Nazi-supporting students burned over 25,000 books that were deemed to be ‘un-German’ In most university towns of Nazi Germany during the night. From Nazi Book Burnings – 10 May 1933 on The British Newspaper Archives.
1933, June 5 - the United States went off the gold standard, where our currency was backed by gold, after Congress enacted a joint resolution nullifying the right of creditors to demand payment in gold. See FDR takes United States off gold standard on History.com.
1933, June 6 - the first drive-in movie theater opens, in Camden County, New Jersey.
1933, July 28 - CCC was founded giving unemployed men and youths jobs building the nation's infrastructure and national parks and working to conserve forests and wildlife across the country. By September 1935, there were nearly 500,000 men serving in the CCC.
90 years ago, December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified. It repealed the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors.
#ThrowbackThursday - Did you know that white-tailed deer were non-existent in Indiana for over 40 years due to overhunting? The last reported wild deer was killed in Knox County in 1893. From 1934 to 1942, 296 deer were purchased from other states and released in Indiana through a program from the Department of Conservation (the forerunner to today's DNR). In this 1934 photo, deer are being released from crates into Ferdinand State Forest.
Photo courtesy of Indiana Album Flick Family Collection
[ Image of Deer release in Ferdinand State Forest, Ferdinand, Indiana, circa 1934Description Typed on the back: "Northern white tailed deer from Michigan are being released in Indiana by the State Department of Conservation to restore some of the wild life [sic wildlife] that has vanished from Indiana. One of the animals is shown above leaping from the crate in which it was shipped to Jasper, Indiana. 3-29-34" ]
ON THIS DAY // On March 3, 1934, John Dillinger escaped from the Crown Point Jail, stole Sheriff Lillian Holley’s car, and headed for Chicago. You can visit the John Dillinger Museum in Crown Point, Indiana to view the infamous wooden gun that Dillinger used to escape the Crown Point Jail.
#OTDJohn Dillinger escaped from the “escape proof” Lake County Jail in Crown Point. Using a fake gun, Dillinger and Herbert Youngblood took hostages and stole weapons and a vehicle from the jail.
The vehicle theft was the catalyst for the U.S. Bureau of Investigation (later FBI) to get involved in the case, and their agents would gun Dillinger down in Chicago on July 22nd, 1934. #JohnDillinger#LakeCounty#Indiana#PrisonEscape
1934, May 23 - On a rural road in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, ... Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were shot dead in a police ambush. The couple were criminal celebrities during the ‘public enemy era’ in the USA, from between 1931 and 1934. It’s believed that they killed nine police officers and several civilians during the course of their careers as armed robbers. Copied from Bonnie and Clyde Are Killed in a Police Ambush – 23 May 1934 from the British Newspaper Archive blog.
As part of American Archives Month, we are examining the National Archives' historical events and highlighting the significance of archives.
In the early 20th century, the United States government needed an adequate means of storing all its records. On June 19, 1934, Congress passed legislation establishing the National Archives to help address this concern. The National Archives Council was also founded, and their responsibilities included advising the Archivist of the United States on which documents should be transferred to the National Archives and which should be destroyed, as well as establishing regulations governing document transfer from various government agencies to the National Archives.
The US National Archives celebrates its 90th birthday today! Since 1934, this agency has been entrusted with the vital democratic mission of preserving, protecting, and sharing the records of our national life.
The US National Archives celebrates its 90th birthday today! Since 1934, this agency has been entrusted with the vital democratic mission of preserving, protecting, and sharing the records of our national life.
On June 19, 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt approved the Act establishing the National Archives. Did you know that...
On June 19, 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt approved the Act establishing the National Archives. Did you know that the same bill created a Commission on National Historical Publications?'
The idea was a simple one: to provide access to all Americans by publishing historical records collections vital to understanding our history, democracy, and culture.
In 1964 Congress passed another bill authorizing the Commission to award grants for such projects, and over the years, the NHPRC has awarded over 5,300 grants that help make access happen. So, this year we celebrate two birthdays--our 90th and our 60th.
1934, July 22 - was the first time the high temperature was recorded as 106°. It matched that temperature again on June 25, 1988. From Fort Wayne Indiana Climate at the National Weather Service.
1934, August 20 - potato chip company Seyfert’s opened in Fort Wayne.
1935 - Beavers (Castor canadensis) were once rare in Indiana due to overharvesting but are now abundant. In 1935, the Indiana Department of Conservation obtained a few breeding pairs from Wisconsin and released them on Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area. Beaver populations expanded, aided by strategic relocations to certain parts of the state to help with expansion. Presently, beavers are found in almost every county. Copied from Beaver at Indiana Department of Natural Resources. "Although the species currently is considered secure across its range, unregulated fur harvest and habitat destruction caused severe declines or extirpation of beavers by 1900 in many parts of the United States." From North American eaver (Castor canadensis): A Technical Conservation Assessment Prepared for the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Species Conservation Project February 6, 2007 at fs.usda.gov.
1935, February 14 - 3Rivers Federal Credit Union opened as International Harvester Company Fort Wayne Works Employees Federal Credit Union.
1935, March 20 - Amelia Earhart lectured at the Shrine Auditorium in Fort Wayne as a guest lecturer for the Psi Iota Xi Sorority Pi Chapter.
1935, April 8 - the Works Progress Administration was established. The work-relief program would go on to employ over 8.5 million Americans at an average salary of $41.57 a month building bridges, roads, public buildings, public parks and airports all across the United States.
1935, May 24 - Cincinnati Reds first ever MLB night game!
1935, August 1 - the first three Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects in the State of Indiana began in Gary and Marion County. The WPA, a program enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide relief to those impoverished by the Great Depression, allocated $1.2 million and employed 1,500 men to work in Gary and Marion County. Gary workers were tasked with improving city parks, such as Gleason's Park and Lincoln Park, by constructing a bird path, golf courses, roads, and a greenhouse. Copied from an August 1, 2018 post by the Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook. Their post shows an image of WPA workers in Muncie during their lunch break circa 1935, courtesy of Ball State University Libraries.
1935, August 8 - Camp Anthony Wayne was established by the CCC in Fort Wayne. The camp officially known as CCC Camp D-2, Co. 1590, was located on Hillegas Road (today 5642 Huguenard Road) between US 30 and Washington Center Road. The camp existed until the elimination of the CCC program in 1942. The original pillars at the entrance of the camp still stand on Huguenard Road. Copied from a December 8, 2020 post with several photos of Camp Anthony Wayne by The History Center on Facebook and posted with more information on our Civilian Conservation Corps - CCC section.
1935, August 14 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act (1935) which established a system of old-age benefits for workers, benefits for victims of industrial accidents, unemployment insurance, and aid for dependent mothers and children, persons who are blind, and persons with disabilities. See FDR's Statements on Social Security at SSA.gov.
Happy Birthday, Social Security! On this day in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. GPO employees produced the legislation and make the law digitally available on GPO’s GovInfo. https://www.govinfo.gov/.../USCODE-2014-title42-chap7.pdf
1935, November 9 - rural electrification got its start in Ohio
Did you know rural electrification got its start in Ohio? The first electric pole financed by the Rural Electrification Administration was installed in Piqua 80 years ago this week! Today, more than 36 million rural Americans have power thanks to electric cooperative lines. Remarkable Ohio
1936
United Electrical Workers Union founded in Fort Wayne to represent workers at General Electric Co. and other electronics manufacturers here, and eventually becomes national in scope. A number of its founders later create the International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers.
1936 - The Rural Electrification Act of 1936, enacted on May 20, 1936, provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States. Need to work on this for history of I & M - History of AEP The American Gas and Electric Company was incorporated Dec. 20, 1906. It moved into Michigan in 1922 with the acquisition of Indiana and Michigan.
1936-1940 the Indiana Works Progress Administration WPA. Indiana WPA Indexes by the Tri-States Genealogical Society states During the period 1936-1940 the Indiana Works Progress Administration (WPA) indexed a large part of the birth, marriage and death records of 68 of Indiana's 92 counties. Marriage records were indexed from 1850 through 1920. Birth and death records were indexed from 1882 through 1920. Marriages have been recorded in Indiana from the territorial period until the present day by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the county where the marriage was performed. Births and deaths, however, have been recorded by the civil authorities in Indiana only since 1882. Records of births and deaths are maintained by the County Health Officer of the county where the birth or death occurred. Be sure to read the 7 page WPA LIBRARY PROJECTS IN INDIANA By Marcia Caudell, Deborah Jones, Ben Jessup, & Marti Reeser printed in the Indiana Libraries, Volume 20, Number 1 on IUPUI.edu. The Works Progress Administration in Indiana at the Lilly Library at Indiana University.
1936, July 13 - the city opened a pool, complete with Red Cross lifeguards, in the St. Joseph River below the Waterworks Dam on Anthony Boulevard. So many swimmers rushed to the pool that planned improvements to the municipal beach and the river bed became impossible - and the board of works announced a preferred route for the public to travel there. Copied from a photo caption in THIS DAY IN HISTORY: July 13 in photos by Dan Vance published July 13, 2018 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper. See Fort Wayne Municipal Beach for more information.
On July 14, 1936, Indiana experienced the highest recorded temperature in the state's history when thermometers hit 116 degrees in Collegeville, Jasper County.
The United Press reported: "Relief from one of the most severe droughts in the history of the state . . . The scorching heat wave will leave in its wake a state death toll of at least 173 lives. Thousands of dollars of damage has been done to crops, and additional damage has been caused by fires, started by the intense heat. Fifty-seven deaths, including nine in Indianapolis, were reported in the state yesterday. The blistering heat took hold on the state July 4 and for the last eight days the temperature has soared above 100 degrees, establishing a record for Indiana. City dwellers and rural folk suffered alike in the heat."
What's in a record? When you hear or see news that a region had its hottest or wettest month since records began, you can check the climatological record books yourself to see what that really means.
This 1936 newspaper clipping estimates the cost of Thanksgiving dinner for 6 to be $5.74, which would be about $122 today! Will any of the foods in the graphic make an appearance on your holiday table this year?
See the full clipping in the Omaha World-Herald on our site: Price of Thanksgiving dinner, 1936, Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, Nov 21, 1936, Page 11
1937 - Indiana General Assembly resolution adopted the Indiana State Motto as The Crossroads of America.
1937 - Questa Education Foundation was Established in 1937 by R. Nelson Snider, principal of South Side High School, and later incorporated as the Fort Wayne Educational Foundation, Questa Education Foundation continues the tradition of providing affordable student loans and generous scholarships to support students in northeast Indiana as they pursue their first associate or bachelor’s degree. Copied from Questa Education Foundation About page.
1937 - the zipper was invented
1937 - the Wolf & Dessaur Christmas Wreath was first displayed
1937, March 2 - Crossroads of America became the official Indiana state motto when it was adopted by the Eightieth Session of the General Assembly. The Indiana Department of Administration states: “‘The Crossroads of America' signifies the importance of waterways, railroads, highways and other transportation facilities in the state, viewed by many as some of the finest in the nation." From a July 30, 2022 post by Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Facebook. Crossroads of America on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
1937, May 6 - the German airship Hindenburg, the largest dirigible ever built, explodes as it arrives in the U.S. Thirty-six people died in the fiery accident that has since become iconic, in part because of the live radio broadcast of the disaster. See video Hindenburg Disaster With Sound (Herb Morrison, WLS Radio) on Archive.org.
1937, May 17 - the childhood home of James Whitcomb Riley in Greenfield, Indiana was opened to the public after restoration by the Riley Old Home Society. From May 17, 2013 post by the Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook.
A film storage facility in New Jersey caught fire in the pre-dawn hours of July 9, 1937, destroying numerous silent films. A 13-year-old boy later died from injuries sustained when the fire spread to nearby homes.
A heatwave and poor ventilation had caused aging nitrate film housed in the Twentieth Century Fox facility to combust, sparking the blaze. This paper reported that the "spectacular fire [...] consumed thousands of feet of motion picture film in a storage plant" and "shot blazing rolls of film atop adjacent homes."
Although 20th Century-Fox officials at the time remarked that "only old films" were destroyed, the fire is now understood as a significant loss of American film heritage. Motion picture historian Anthony Slide called the destruction of the Fox vault "the most tragic" American nitrate fire. The highest-quality examples of every Fox film produced prior to 1932 were destroyed; all known copies of many movies had been stored in the facility. Copied from Legacy at 1937 Fox vault fire on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
1937, November - a WPA photo from The National Archivesshows the Robert Snyder family of Fort Wayne and another shows A WPA culvert project in Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1937 both were posted in A New Deal for Indiana published April 19, 2015 on New Deal of the Day blog.
1938
Fort Wayne Industrial Union Council, consisting of six local unions, was chartered by the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).
Civil Aeronautics Authority approves night airplane service for Fort Wayne after its airport (Baer Field) installs electric runway lights and radio communication.
1938 - South Side High School became the first team from a city of more than 50,000 to win the Indiana State Basketball Tournament after the first 27 years when teams from small towns dominated, creating the mystique upon which much of Hoosier Hysteria is based. From Last Archer title winner dies Roth was last member of 1938 championship team by Blake Sebring published April 17, 2013 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
1938, January 3 - the March of Dimes is launched to fight polio.
1938, February 24
FWHA Fort Wayne Housing Authority
The first organizational meeting of the Commissioners of the FWHA was held at Fort Wayne City Hall on the 24th of February 1938. In the same year, WPA workers constructed the first FWHA prefabricated three-room house which rented for $2.50 a week. On opening day, 3,000 persons lined up to visit this model home. Forty-four more such houses were constructed later that year on vacant city lots that were purchased by the Authority for $1.00. November 28, 2024 copy from the Overview web page of the Fort Wayne Housing Authority.
"$2.50-A-Week Houses On $1.00 Lots In Fort Wayne." See Image #7 For The Story Source: Life - February 1939. Three of the eight images are shown below with another from an ebay post of one full page. Some houses may remain in the eastern Harvester Community area, 2200 Brown Street northwest area near RR tracks, and 800 block of Elmer Avenue between Wells and Sherman Boulvard near the FW Children's Zoo.
Bikes of "yesteryear"! These were considered "pedal relics" even in 1938 when this clipping was published!
They were collected by a Minneapolis bike shop owner and included "an early type bicycle with a large driving wheel," "a tandem bicycle built for four," "an old-timer with wooden tires," and "a bicycle built for two."
1938, June 25 - on a Saturday, to avoid pocket vetoes 9 days after Congress had adjourned, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed 121 bills. Among these bills was a landmark law in the Nation's social and economic development -- Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). Against a history of judicial opposition, the depression-born FLSA had survived, not unscathed, more than a year of Congressional altercation. In its final form, the act applied to industries whose combined employment represented only about one-fifth of the labor force. In these industries, it banned oppressive child labor and set the minimum hourly wage at 25 cents, and the maximum workweek at 44 hours. Forty years later, a distinguished news commentator asked incredulously: "My God! 25 cents an hour! Why all the fuss?" President Roosevelt expressed a similar sentiment in a "fireside chat" the night before the signing. He warned: "Do not let any calamity-howling executive with an income of $1,000 a day, ...tell you...that a wage of $11 a week is going to have a disastrous effect on all American industry."2 In light of the social legislation of 1978, Americans today may be astonished that a law with such moderate standards could have been thought so revolutionary. Copied from Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938: Maximum Struggle for a Minimum Wage by Jonathan Grossman , see also Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the 64-page document The Fair Labor Standards Act Of 1938, As Amended at the U.S. Department of Labor. One law was Public Contracts Act of 1936 (Walsh-Healey) which required most government contractors to adopt an 8-hour day and a 40-hour week but it was limited. It took a few more attempts to get a broader law, but in January 1938 the bill that became the FLSA was sent to Congress. After the bill was debated and voted on, it was signed by President Roosevelt and became effective on October 24, 1938. Copied from Fair Labor Standards Act Signed at This Month in Business History at The Library of Congress. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
1938, July 16 - photo of Bobby Lambert, veteran of three News-Sentinel Soap Box Derbies, was preparing for the 1938 race with his brother, Billie, who was participating for the first time. With the permission of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lambert, the boys put the finishing touches on their cars in their living room at 2201 Holton Ave. Copied from THIS DAY IN HISTORY: July 16 in photos published July 16, 2018 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
1938, July 18 - About 100 drivers lined up for the fourth annual Soap Box Derby Parade on July 18, 1938, the night before the running of that year's race. Thousands of spectators stood along the 2-mile parade route, from the News-Sentinel building on Barr Street to Bueter Road. Copied from THIS DAY IN HISTORY: July 18 in photos by Dan Vance published July 18, 2018 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Frank Hohenberger (1876-1963) is revered for his black and white photographs documenting the residents and natural beauty of Brown County. While many of his images convey the quiet dignity of his Nashville neighbors, Hohenberger clearly had a sense of humor. Whether titling his famous photo of old men sitting and chatting as “Liar’s Bench” or capturing this shot of a farmer spoiling his barn cat, Hohenberger’s easy manner helped him win the acceptance of the locals he documented. See some of his over 15,000 photos and negatives via the Lilly Library, Indiana University: Lilly Library > Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection
John Rondot : Here is an old photograph of a Brown Trucking Company vehicle. The license plate is from 1939. The telephone number is A-3265. Notice the street is brick. The only address I can find for the company was 125 W. Columbia Street. Does anyone know anything about this company?
1939, March 14 - Capehart-Farnsworth opened for business in Fort Wayne.
On March 14, 1939, Capehart-Farnsworth opened for business in Fort Wayne. The company produced radios, phonographs, and television equipment. Read more about Farnsworth with IHB historian Nicole Poletika's article in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.
85 years ago today, Marian Anderson performed an Easter concert for a crowd of 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial after being denied use of Constitution Hall because of her race. Her powerful voice and unwavering determination that day was a pivotal moment in American history and a significant shift in the Civil Rights movement. Video Description: Several black and white photos of Marian Anderson singing "My Country, ‘Tis of Thee" from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939.
85 years ago today, Marian Anderson performed an Easter concert for a crowd of 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial after being denied use of Constitution Hall because of her race.
Her powerful voice and unwavering determination that day was a pivotal moment in American history and a significant shift in the Civil Rights movement.
Video Description: Several black and white photos of Marian Anderson singing "My Country, ‘Tis of Thee" from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939.
Today DAR commemorates the 85th anniversary of Marian Anderson’s historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial....
Today DAR commemorates the 85th anniversary of Marian Anderson’s historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The DAR regrets that it did not give Marian Anderson the opportunity to perform her 1939 Easter concert in Constitution Hall, but today we join all Americans in grateful recognition that her historic performance was a pivotal point in the struggle for racial equality. DAR is honored to have had Marian Anderson first perform in Constitution Hall in 1943, and on several later occasions in her career including when she launched her farewell tour from Constitution Hall in 1964.
America is a better place because of Marian Anderson’s dreams and her sacrifices. As a nation, we can be grateful that she opened so many doors for all those who follow; and, as an organization, the DAR is so pleased to pay tribute to her life, talent and legacy.
To contribute to the DAR Marian Anderson Legacy Fund, used to support projects, programs, and other initiatives that promote the legacy of Marian Anderson including funding for a new DAR scholarship, please visit www.dar.org/MarianAndersonLegacyFund
1939, May 16 - A streetcar photo from the
Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the
Allen County Public Librarywas posted May 16, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. It is labeled: Indiana Service Corporation: last streetcar run on West Jefferson, 16 May 1939 1.15 p.m., replaced by bus. Tracks laid for horse drawn carts 1874, converted to electric service 1892. Among those on last streetcar (l-r) David Lewis (Board of Works), Henry F. Modemeyer (operator), A. M. Mardaman (bus operator), Josephone M. Zimmerman (Mayor Baals' secretary), W. Marshal Dale (president of ISC), John R. McKay (street railway manager), Robert G. Beams (Board of Works). shows streetcar with bus parked beside it.
Before cars and buses became the primary transportation in Fort Wayne, streetcars led by horses on tracks were the way to get around. On this day in 1939, the streetcars on West Jefferson were replaced with buses, marking the beginning of a transportation transition for the city.
Streetcars came to Fort Wayne in 1871 as a way to easily get around town after the Civil War. They ran on tracks in the ground and were pulled by horses. Relying on horses came with a few problems, such as disease that would shut the whole system down. In 1890, there was a fire that killed several dozen horses in one of the stables. As a result of these issues it was determined that a better system was needed, so they went electric. “In 1892, they came up with an electrified system, they strung wires all around and ran on the same tracks. That really helped the system go, it ran from 1892 up until the 1940s”, explained Beatty. On May 16, 1939 streetcar service on West Jefferson was replaced by bus service, one of the first spots to start phasing from streetcars to busses in Fort Wayne. The process would take nearly a decade. “In 1947, the last what was called a street railway, stopped,” said Beatty, “They still ran what were called trolley coaches, which were buses that were electrified, but they were they ran on wheels rather than on tracks and those continued until 1959.”
Today is National Beer Day, but do you know why? In March 1933 — several months before Prohibition was repealed completely on December 5, 1933 — President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which re-legalized the sale of low alcohol content beer in the U.S. Before that bill went into effect on April 7, 1933, beer had been illegal in the states since Prohibition began in 1920.
