The grounds for what would become Lawton park were purchased in 1864 as a site for the Indiana State Fair, an event that ended up only being held there once, in 1865. The property joined the city park system in 1866 and was given the name of Northside Park. In 1899, local and national military hero Henry W. Lawton was killed near Luzon while leading a 4,000 man army during the Philippine Insurrection.
Lawton, born in Maumee, OH was chiefly raised in Fort Wayne and in 1858 enrolled in the Methodist Episcopal College here which stood at the intersection of Wayne and College Streets in today’s West Central neighborhood. At the onset of the Civil War in 1861, he joined the first Indiana regiment that was formed and later became the first Fort Wayne native to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, given for his heroism during the war’s Atlanta campaign. Lawton would go on to distinguish himself in the Spanish-American War, several Indian campaigns, and in the tracking to Mexico of Indian Chief Geronimo in 1886.
Northside Park was renamed in honor of Major-General Henry Lawton in 1900 and the cannon returned from the Philippines was placed upon a limestone base there. Recently, the over 115 year old cannon was removed, taken to Illinois for restoration, and then re-installed at the park. You can see the cannon on your left as you pass the park while driving south on North Clinton Street. A bronze statue of Lawton was erected in Lakeside Park in 1921 and additionally statues of him are in Garfield Park in Indianapolis, and Thomas Park in Lawton, OK. His grave and a bronze monument to him reside in Arlington National Cemetery.
It's #waybackwednesday! Take a look at these then & now photos courtesy of the Daniel A. Baker Collection in our Community Album. These photos show the Soldiers Monument in Lawton Park circa 1900 and in 2017. In the image from 2017, Howard Hoemig is pictured reading the inscriptions on the monument.
The News-Rotary swimming pool to be erected in Lawton Park with funds being subscribed by generous citizens who would have sanitary bathing site for youngsters and oldsters.
The above drawing is a perspective of the Rotary Swimming pool, the funds for construction of which now are being pledged by Fort Wayne citizens who want the youngsters and the oldsters of the city to have sanitary bathing conveniences. The building which is to be constructed of pressed brick was designed by Mahurin and 'Mahurin also prepared the bird's eye view published above.
It will be located in the northeast corner of Lawton park directly along side the Spy Run creek and directly north of Seventh street. The pool itself is to be open to the sky with a building erected around it, with accommodations for 300 men and boys and sixty four women and girls with showers, toilets, lookers, dressing rooms, etc. A cement walk will encircle the entire pool and sloping grass banks will afford vantage points from which people may watch the bathers disporting themselves.
The supply for the pool is to be obtained from the discharge lines leading from the condensers of the city lighting plant. This tepid water will flow through the pool and into Spy Run creek furnishing a constant supply of clear pure water, passed through a filter before being, introduced into the bathing pool The concrete pool itself is to be forty by 120 feet with twenty feet taken from the south end for a wading pool for the children, while the remaining 100 feet will be given over to depths that will admit of diving, etc.
An administration building will occupy the southwest corner (in the immediate foreground). In this room (the man and woman attendants will have their offices. Suits will be rented, valuables checked, lockers assigned, etc. Provision also is made for a confectionery booth. The men will occupy the west portion of the building while the women's quarters are on the south side. The structure as designed by Mahurin and Mahurin is a handsome addition to the park's complement and a worthy standard for future pools that the city may erect in years to come.
