Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

Places in Fort Wayne, Allen County, IndianaBarr Street Market

Barr Street Market

Notice the dirt street!

Barr Street Market, Fort Wayne IN: original Barr Street market, replaced 1910 in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. One of nearly 60 Barr Street Market search results.

Dirt street shown above appears to be brick in 1898.

Barr Street Market, Fort Wayne IN: looking north, 1898. Reproduced from a printed source. Include's wagon of Laurent's Meat Market, city hall in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. One of nearly 60 Barr Street Market search results.

Barr Street Market, Fort Wayne IN: caption reads 'portion of new market buildings' so perhaps dating from ca. 1910. photograph of postcard. Includes city hall, arch over Wayne Street. in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. One of nearly 60 Barr Street Market search results.

By 1913 automobiles are shown compared to horses a few years earlier in a 1910 postcard.

Barr Street Market, Fort Wayne IN, 1913: exterior from Washington Blvd., empty. Mahurin and Mahurin, architects in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. One of nearly 60 Barr Street Market search results.

Barr Street Market, Fort Wayne IN: on market day, with city hall in background in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. One of nearly 60 Barr Street Market search results.

Northeast corner of Barr and E. Wayne Streets Street View photo from Google Maps.

May 16, 2018post by The History Center on Facebook:

Buying fresh food, straight from the farmer, has a 181 year history in downtown Fort Wayne. It is here that we find the beginnings of the Barr Street Market. In 1837, Samuel Hanna donated land to the city for the express purpose of establishing a public market. [See page 331, The First Market House in Griswold's Pictorial History 1917] The name of market was taken from the bordering street, which was itself named for John T. Barr, who co-purchased the original 118 lots of the town of Fort Wayne. By 1855, the market was a vital part of the local economy and a market house had been constructed. In 1910, celebrated local architects, Mahurin & Mahurin designed a new concrete market complex, replacing the half-century old market. Located on the east side of Barr Street, it extended two blocks south from the City Hall Building (today known as the History Center) to Washington Boulevard. Expansion of supermarkets into the suburbs brought an end to the Barr Street Market. The northern pavilion (City Hall to Wayne Street) was demolished in 1957, followed by the southern pavilion (Wayne Street to Washington Boulevard) in 1958.

In 1988, the History Center acquired the Barr Street Market and for the past three decades the museum has faithfully stewarded this oldest public space in Fort Wayne. Since 2005, the History Center and the Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana have partnered to revitalize and energize this cherished piece of our community’s shared heritage. Today we celebrate the season opening of the Barr Street Farmers Market on Saturday, which is once again home to farmers and vendors selling directly to the people of Fort Wayne. #sociallyhistory

May 7, 2022 post by The History Center on Facebook:

A beloved summer tradition in downtown Fort Wayne returns for another season. The Barr Street Farmers Market traces its origins to 1837, when the land was given to the town of Fort Wayne by Samuel Hanna. The land was designated for use as a public market in perpetuity and was operated as such by the city until the downtown farmers market lost popularity in the mid-20th century. In 1988, the History Center purchased the Barr Street Market and has stewarded this property as the oldest public space in Fort Wayne for over three decades.

Since 2005, the History Center, in partnership with the Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana, has presented the Barr Street Farmers Market each summer. Come and visit our historic market for locally made food and produce each Saturday, May 7 through September 24, 9am-1pm.

The City of Fort Wayne operated the market from the day it opened until 1966 from Barr Street Market on the South Central Trail 12 stops on the Heritage Trail by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage).
Historic Barr Street Market images on Google.
A 1950 photo from THIS DAY IN HISTORY: May 31 in photos by Dan Vance posted May 31, 2018 in The News-Sentinel newspaper. Caption; 1950 - In the 1950s, the Barr Street Market was a place to buy plants and flowers as well as all kinds of homegrown fruits and vegetables. Here, on May 31, early-afternoon shoppers had their pick of merchandise. The market was open five days a week, and was at its busiest Friday afternoons and evenings and Saturday mornings.
Barr Street Market full of history by Michael Hawfield from theCityscapes - People & Places series of articles from the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Barr Street Market: Trading Under the Trees by Tom Castaldi September 12, 2013 on the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
Historic Barr Street Farmers Market Offers Local Produce and Family Fun published July 1, 2009 with a then and now photo on The Chamber's Daily Dose blog.
Changes at Barr Street Market in 1957 by Corey McMaken published May 28, 2020 in History Journal archives of the Journal Gazette newspaper.
Photo posted and discussed August 19, 2018 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
Photos and discussion February 4, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
In 1988, the History Center purchased the Barr Street Market and has stewarded this property as the oldest public space in Fort Wayne for over three decades. Since 2005, the History Center, in partnership with the Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana, has presented the Barr Street Farmers Market each summer. Come and visit our historic market for locally made food and produce each Saturday, May 7 through September 24, 9am-1pm. Copied from a May 6, 2022 post by The History Centeron Facebook.

YLNI Summer Farmers Market posted Oct 5, 2022 by YLNIon YouTube
Located in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne, at the historic Barr Street Market, the YLNI Farmers Market presents a vibrant market experience during the summer months!

The YLNI Farmers Market is a producer-only market, meaning that our vendors personally make or grow the products they sell. Every vendor is local, coming from Allen or surrounding counties. On average, the market connects 10,000 visitors each week with fresh and unique local produce, plants, meats, baked goods, and homemade crafts.

Historical Facts: The YLNI Farmers Market represents an important part of Fort Wayne’s history. It is an ongoing tradition that’s been alive in the heart of our city for more than a century. Here’s why: Located in the oldest public space in Fort Wayne (at the corner of Barr and Wayne Streets); The original Barr Street Market operated continuously from the 1840s-1950s; In its heyday, the Market stretched for 2 city blocks and had several permanent buildings.

September 21, 2023 post by The History Center on Facebook:

Since 2005, the History Center has partnered with Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana to reenergize and revitalize the 1837 Barr Street Market, which is the oldest public space in the City, into the top-ranked Barr Street Farmers Market. The History Center acquired the Barr Street Market in 1990 and since that time has stewarded and interpreted that beloved public market.

For the second consecutive year the Barr Street Farmers Market was named the best farmers market in Indiana, and this year was also named third in the Midwest and sixth in the nation.

YLNI named #1 farmers market in Indiana for second year