Trip For Suburban Day Visitors Wednesday, June 5th
To Our Friends From Out-of-Town:
Every visitor to Fort Wayne on Wednesday, June 5, is cordially invited to enjoy the "Seeing Fort Wayne" trip which we have prepared for the special entertainment of Suburban Day people. The trip will be twenty-five miles in length and will require about two hours. Automobiles will leave the court house at 1 p. m. sharp. All who have tickets will be given seats in the automobiles. Tickets will be given free to all out-of-town people who ask for them at any store which displays the SUBURBAN DAY association card in the window. It isn't necessary to buy anything to get a ticket. They're given away gladly to out-of-town people. Feel perfectly free to ask for them, The map below shows where we will go. We want you to enjoy this trip with us. If you have an automobile, join the procession; if not, we'll be glad to take you in one of ours.
FORT WAYNE SUBURBAN DAY TRADE ASSOCIATION.
"Sightseeing Map of Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne Suburban Day Trade Association B. J. Griswold
Points of Interest Along the Twenty-five Mile Sightseeing Route.
Mrs. George Herrick, of Thorncreek township, was quite seriously injured in a runaway Saturday, Mrs. Herrick, with her eight-year-old son, Bonnell, was driving the family horse hitched to a top buggy and was hurrying to town to catch a train west, when driving along the place known as the Ben Egolf farm north of the city the horse suddenly and unexpectedly became scared at a cow around tied by the roadside and turning quickly and upset the ocoupants. The son escaped injury but Mrs. Herrick had hold of the lines and was caught in the buggy top and was dragged for some distance before she could extricate herself. Her forehead was cut very badly, requiring many stitches to sew it up, 'her right shoulder and arm and chest bruised considerably and six front teeth were knocked out. Nearby neighbors hurried to her assistance and administered what aid they could and called Dr. Ben Linville, of this city who took the injured woman to her home and properly dressed the injuries. The buggy was completely demolished, the harness badly damaged but the horse escaped any serious hurts.
Route of Suburban Day Route Appears in Today's News.
The Fort Wayne Suburban Day Trade association is doing a good thing not only for the visitors who are to come to the city next Wednesday, but to to the people of Fort Wayne. They are going to show the visitors just how big Indiana's second city really is and just where its places of beauty and importance are located. The visitors will be taken in automobiles, starting from the court house, on Wednesday at 1 o'clock. The trip will be twenty-five miles in length and will require about two hours.
There are no "strings" tied to the securing of the tickets which are required for the trip. The visitors simply go to any suburban day store and ask for tickets, which will be given free. There is no obligation to make a purchase anywhere at any time. It's just a gland-hand see-the-town occasion. All visitors who come in their own automobiles will be welcomed to bring their own machines into the line of "march." And town folks may join, too, if they bring their own machines. Each visitor will be provided with a map showing the whole route, a guide to fiftythree of the principal places of interest along the line. The visitors may easily find the ticket-giving places by the cards in the windows reading: "We are members of the Fort Suburban Day Trading association."
A map of the route appears in today's Daily News. It will be of interest to Fort Wayne people as well as the visitors and will doubtless be used by the home folks in showing the town to their friends.
It Tells Where Suburban Folks Will Be Taken Wednesday.
The map, shown in the Daily News today, gives a suggestion of the "seeing Fort Wayne" trip which the members of the Fort Wayne Suburban Day Trade associastion have prepared for their visitors on Wednesday of this week. The occasion is truly a "glad hand" event. The hosts ask nothing of their visitors except that they be provided with tickets for the ride and these tickets are to be given away for the asking. Visitors who come to the city on Wednesday morning may secure tickets by merely asking at any store which displays the suburban day placard in the window.
The trip is twenty-five miles in length and wil require two hours' time.
Buildings of the Fort Wayne Campus by FW Alumni Center published June 16, 2014 on YouTube This video is review of the Buildings of the Fort Wayne Campus of Fort Wayne Bible Training School/Fort Wayne Bible Institute/Fort Wayne Bible College/Summit Christian College and Taylor University Fort Wayne-five names for one institution. The dates given with the images are when the buildings were occupied, not when building was started.
The Light Tower was the name of the yearbook of Fort Wayne Bible Training School (1928-1931), Fort Wayne Bible Institute (1932-1950) and Fort Wayne Bible College (1951-1972);The Vine was the name of the yearbook from 1973-1989, and Summit Christian College (1990-1992); Taylor University Fort Wayne continued naming the yearbook, The Vine (1993-2003); The Vine DVDs were produced in the years 2004, 2005, 2006; No yearbooks were produced in 1929, 1931, 1933, 1934, 2007 or 2008;The Horizon Line was the last yearbook, 2009; The 1956 dedicated to Professor Oliver E. Steiner in his memory; Elaine Perry, editor; Founded Theta Beta; Nurses Training course. Copied from the 1956 ebook below: Fort Wayne Bible College Light Tower Yearbook .
Over the past few weeks, the former Fort Wayne Bible Training School buildings were demolished at the corner of Rudisill and South Wayne. With its founding in the early 1900s, it was once stated that “Fort Wayne has every reason to be proud of this institution” as the school trained “men and women to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ to our world in need.” Today is the story of its founding.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the country was amid the Third Great Awakening, a historical period marked by religious activism in American history. This Awakening significantly influenced the development of colleges and universities across the country, including in Northeast Indiana. Many denominations began to build colleges and universities to train the next generation. What was once a world requiring frontier and pioneer skills was rapidly transforming due to the Second Industrial Revolution.
While the first commencement occurred in 1909, the Institute sent missionaries to far-off places such as India as early as 1906. Schultz Hall was built in 1905, with Bethany Hall in 1930 to support this rapidly growing school. By 1946 the campus expanded South with a $60,000 purchase of the additional property. While the names changed over time, in 1992, the then Summit Christian College became Taylor University, Fort Wayne. In 2009, the campus officially closed its doors.
The former box company built in 1904 was located on the northwest corner of Superior and Calhoun Streets. It produced cardboard art and business calendars, wood and glass souvenirs, leather goods, signs, and novelties. In 1910 the company bought out the Fort Wayne Engraving Company and moved its operations into the building. Graphic Packaging was the last owner to utilize the building before closing it in 2010. It is currently being converted into apartments called the Superior Lofts.
It's #waybackwednesday! Take a look at these Fort Wayne then and now photos, courtesy of the Daniel A. Baker collection from our Community Album. The first photo shows the Fort Wayne Box Co. circa 1913. It was later known as Wayne Box and Printing; Container Corp of America, Smurfit-Stone Container, Altivity Packaging, and Graphic Packaging. The second photo shows the former Fort Wayne Box Company undergoing renovation into apartments called Superior Lofts in 2017.
Fort Wayne Building Loan Fund & Savings Association
First of many associations in late 19th century Fort Wayne. After 25 years loaning money to build around 2,000 homes in Fort Wayne for Pennsylvania Shop railroad employees was disbanded in 1905. See July 30, 1905 article in The Journal Gazette newspaper published July 30, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
Did you know that our digital collections include Fort Wayne Civic Theater programs? The Fort Wayne Civic Theatre has located and archived over 600 program books from seasons dating back to 1933. The archive contains a nearly* complete history of program books from the 1943-1944 season forward, with thirty-five books from various seasons dating back to 1933. A complete list of productions by season can be found at fwcivic.org.
Established in 1927, the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre has performed over 700 productions and remains one of the region’s most popular downtown entertainment destinations.
The officers of the new company, the Fort Wayne Electric Works, organized in May, 1899, were: Henry C. Paul, president; S. D. Green, vice-president; M. F. Westover, secretary, and Fred S. Hunting, treasurer and sales manager, while Mr. Wood continued his services as factory manager and chief electrician. From Fort Wayne Electric Works on VintageMachinery.org. The Fort Wayne lamp works of the Edison Lamp Works of General Electric was opened in September 1906.
Several photos and a brief history on Fort Wayne on LampTech.com/uk.
Established in 1846 as The Fort Wayne Female College on grounds donated by Wm. Rockhill. In 1855 it consolidated with the Fort Wayne Collegiate Institute for Young Men and was called the M.E. (Methodist) College. In 1890 the college grounds were deeded to Taylor University, and in 1893 it moved to Upland, Indiana home of Taylor University. Erected by the M.E. College Association - 1936.
I located this 1876 map. It looks like Wayne Street ended at the Methodist College, so I wonder if Wayne was a two-way street at that time or one had to come around in front of the College and head east on Wayne. So fascinating!
This map shows why the 1936 memorial stone is on Thieme Drive along the St. Marys River.
Fort Wayne Fire Department
Fort Wayne Gas Works
In the era of gas lighting, Fort Wayne Gas Works, located on the site of today’s Hall’s Gas House restaurant on Superior Street between Barr and Lafayette streets, was the central public utilities operation in Fort Wayne. Copied from Under the Gas Lights by Tom Castaldi published May 23, 2013 on the History Center Notes & Queries blog. For more see Old Gas House.
The Fort Wayne Experiment discussed on pages 36-37 in The prefabrication of houses
by Albert Farwell Bemis Foundation; Kelly, Burnham Publication date 1951
During the Great Depression in the late 1930s prefabricated plywood-panel homes were built with WPA labor at the rate of one-a-day! One reference is labeled "Fifty Plywood-Panel Houses Built at Rate of One a Day," Architectural Record, LXXXV (March, 1939), 38–40 (this contains excellent photographs of the housing, examples of which appear on pages 362 and 363) from Fort Wayne and the Great Depression: The New Deal Years, 1933–1940 Iwan Morgan on Indiana Magazine of History, Volume 80, Issue 4, pp 348-378. There are photos on page 362 and 363 of their pdf download file or view the pdf here. These homes were discussed May 3, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook. Similar Tiny Houses also known as Tin Village barracks were built after World War II for returning war veterans.
Fort Wayne Manhole Covers
#FunFactFriday Being an organization that preserves architectural and cultural history, we keep a library of everything...
#FunFactFriday Being an organization that preserves architectural and cultural history, we keep a library of everything from blueprints, newspaper articles, and neat gems like this study done on manhole covers of Fort Wayne! "Manhole Covers of Fort Wayne, Indiana" was published in 1988 by Kathryn Moore. It includes illustrations of local manhole covers, information about their origins, and poems that highlight their often forgotten historic significance! #history#fortwayne#preservation
Manhole Covers of Ft. Wayne - a 128 page book by Kathryn Moore published in 1988 available on Google books was a FunFactFriday Facebook post on September 8, 2017 by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage)
Though the Fort Wayne Museum of Art had been around for many years, it moved to its current home in 1984 after a two-year, $4 million construction project that created a 39,000-square-foot building. The museum moved to its new structure on Main Street from the B. Paul Mossman mansion, 1202 W. Wayne St., which is now the home of Castle Gallery Fine Art. The new building had about five times more floor space and a 108-seat auditorium. Copied from 1982 to 1984: Fort Wayne Museum of Art construction, opening Corey McMaken June 23, 2019 Updated Jun 6, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Financial security and prosperity have long been sought by the people that call Fort Wayne home. From 1794 until 1835, our city did not have an established banking institution, primarily relying on banks in the more populous Ohio River Valley and Eastern States. With the creation of the State Bank of Indiana in 1833, this all changed and the Fort Wayne branch of the bank was officially established on August 25, 1835, exactly 187 years ago today. The list of principals who organized the bank reads like a “who’s who” of prominent men of the era: Allen Hamilton (president), Hugh McCulloch (cashier) and directors William Rockhill, Asa Fairfield, Jesse Vermilyea, Francis Comparet and William G. Ewing, among others. This branch operated until the charter of the bank was revoked in 1859 and the state allowed the creation of the privately held Second Bank of Indiana, which took over local operations. This bank operated in Fort Wayne until 1865 when it merged with another local bank, which in 1885 changed its named to Old National Bank. In 1863, First National Bank was the first bank in Indiana to receive a charter under the new national banking system, through several events Fort Wayne’s first banks and this second would join together and be important institutions in our community. In 1905, First National consolidated with White National Bank and in 1917 with Hamilton National Bank. Now known as First and Hamilton National Bank, the institution merged with Old National and became Old-First National Bank. In 1933, Old-First National closed in March, but was reorganized and reopened in October as the new Fort Wayne National Bank. Fort Wayne National operated as an independent banking institution until its acquisition by National City Bank in 1998. Through its most recent incarnation, it continues to serve the citizens of Fort Wayne & Allen County as PNC. ts most recent incarnation, it continues to serve the citizens of Fort Wayne & Allen County as PNC. #sociallyhistory
Throwback Thursday from the H & D Scrapbook. On November 2, 1966 ground was broken for the 26 story Fort Wayne National Bank Building, by the way.... Hofer and Davis, Inc. provided the boundary and topographic survey for FWNB!
HISTORY JOURNAL Fort Wayne National Bank building (now PNC Center) opened in 1970 and surpassed Lincoln Bank Tower as the tallest building in Fort Wayne. It held that title until 1982. Construction on the building is seen in these photos. See more: Bank building became city's tallest in 1970
It's pretty incredible what a few passionate citizens can accomplish. 45 years ago this weekend, our organization was officially formed with the goal of restoring and operating a historic steam locomotive on display in Downtown Fort Wayne. In two years, the engine would be removed from Lawton Park and by 1979, it would become the living, breathing time machine we all know and love today. Not bad for a bunch of dreamers. [Depot is shown in a September 1974 photo when the old New York Central line railroad tracks were still in front of the station! It was the first passenger station in Fort Wayne and briefly known as "Union Station."]
For "Throwback Thursday" we share this picture of the old Depot. It is located across the street from last weeks LAKE SHORE HOTEL at the corner of Wells and Cass Streets. It is still in existence and used by Fort Wayne Outfitters, owned by Hall's Drive-Ins, Inc. right across from Promenade Park. BTW...Hofer and Davis, Inc. surveyed the depot for Bud Hall from Hall's Drive-Ins, Inc.
Fort Wayne Paper Box Company
Northwest corner of Superior and Calhoun. Founded as Fort Wayne Paper Box Company by Andrew Burry and Joel Welty in 1897 and incorporated the next year (1898) as Wayne Paper Box & Printing, it would later become Wayne Paper Box Corp. The company made a variety of paper products including folding corrugated boxes, gift boxes, mailing tubes, stationary, calendars and even postcards (many of which depicted Fort Wayne scenes). The building was constructed in two phases with the first phase at the corner in 1904 and the section to the west of that in 1923. Reborn as Superior Lofts.
A mill for the manufacture of "print" paper, and a better quality of paper for book printing, was established by the Fort Wayne Paper Company, composed of Messrs. Freeman, Bard and Dublinski. A. G. Barnett became interested in the venture in 1867. The plant was destroyed by fire in 1871 and was not rebuilt. The mill was located about five miles north of Fort Wayne on the right bank of the St. Joseph river. It was operated by water power.
However, in 1835 the inevitable "first saw mill" was built by Klinger and Comparet, on Becket's Run from which stream the power was derived. Six years afterwards, in 1841, Henry Rudisill built the first steam saw mill on the St. Joseph river, and after that, indefatigable mill builder that he was, added a second story to the building and conducted a carding mill there. At the death of Mr. Rudisill the property passed to his son-in-law, N. B. Freeman, who continued the business until 1866, when with two partners he built a dam and erected a paper mill about four miles up the river, and devoted his energies to the newer enterprise. The paper mill was completely destroyed by fire in 1871, but in spite of very heavy loss, it was immediately rebuilt on a larger scale and continued its successful career. In all these ventures, the settlers bore a part, for they were laborers in the building and operation of these mills, and without their participation in many occupations other than clearing and farming, many fine things had gone undone.
The Fort Wayne Paper Mill As you drive east from North Clinton on Washington Center Road, on the right you will pass the Paper Mill Bluffs housing addition and the Paper Mill Office Park. At first blush you may think it’s another one of those corny names that builders give housing additions a’la the “Falls At Beaver Creek”. Hummmm?
But you are actually headed down the hill towards where the old Fort Wayne Paper Mill operated on the St. Joe River from 1866 until 1889. The paper mill sat the equivalent of about a couple city blocks up the river to the north of the current 1963 concrete Paper Mill Bridge on Washington Center/St. Joe Center Roads. While I’ve not run across any images of the paper mill or its dam, we know from newspaper accounts that there were two buildings along the river that were each two stories high, one was 25’ x 80’ and the other 40’ x 60’, as well as a residence being there. One of these large buildings would have been connected to the water wheel in the river that powered the mill’s machinery. The paper produced at the mill was made, initially at least (as most paper mills did of that era) from linen and cotton rags. The company ran advertisements in the local papers that they had a buying office for rags and a sales office for paper at 51 East Columbia Street. With the new street numbering system the city had put in place in 1902 that would put their offices in the block where Freimann Square is today. In the mill’s first year of operation the Fort Wayne Daily Gazette touted that it was now being printed on Fort Wayne Paper Mill paper, and so no longer had to get their paper from Cleveland or Dayton; however it appears the most of the paper manufactured at the mill was brown Kraft type butcher wrapping paper which they supplied to local stores and markets from their offices on Columbia Street. The mill appears to have been a success and in April of 1880 communicated to the Fort Wayne Daily News that they had set a new record of producing 2542 lbs. of paper in a single day.
Prior to our current 1963 concrete bridge (since widened) there was an iron bridge over the river per the attached pictures. However, as you can see from the aerial photographs it was not lined up with Washington Center/St. Joe Center Roads as ours is today. You can see that Washington Center Road had a one block jog north and then crossed the iron bridge and then angled back south to link up with St. Joe Center Road on the other side of the river. Before the iron bridge there had been a wooden suspension bridge at that location that had been built in 1872 and that then collapsed in 1882 necessitating the pictured iron bridge being built in 1883. Today as you drive back west across the new bridge if you look to your right you can see the old stone bridge abutment about a city block north on the west side of the river.
The paper mill dam, just north of the mill, ran all the way across the St. Joe River and it was frequently reported in the paper that it was once again needing repairs or had partially washed away. Additionally, in 1881 an entirely new dam had to be constructed across the river as the winter ice and high spring waters had so badly damaged the old one. I would imagine with equipment of that time that this would have been no mean feat. Yet, despite a new dam being built it also had a number of large breaks over the ensuing years including a 75’ gap torn in the dam in March of 1897. I was unable to find reference as to when the last of the dam finally disappeared.
In 1877 wealthy Fort Wayne industrialist William Fleming gained control of the eleven year old paper mill and operated it for twelve years before closing it in 1889 and selling all of the equipment to a new mill being built in Hartford City in which he was a major stockholder. Thus, the 23 year run of the Fort Wayne Paper Mill came to an end. However for a number of years after the demise of the mill, articles continued to appear in the local papers about social events and the great fishing around “picturesque” paper mill dam.
BridgeHunter page for Paper Mill Bridge states: Built ca.1882 by the Morse Bridge Company; removed sometime after a new bridge was built to the South in 1963. Also called: Upper St Joe Center Road Bridge.
As the Fourth of July Holiday approaches, the Philharmonic’s Musicians, Staff, and Youth Orchestra Students are thinking of you. While we are not able to gather together this year, we wanted to offer you this moving piece by Indianapolis based composer Jim Beckel Music - Composer. Using the composer’s at home recording we created a special patriotic video incorporating local area imagery obtained in cooperation with The History Center, The US National Archives, local photographers Ray Steup, John McGauley and Allen County Public Library Community Album. Narration is provided by Fort Wayne Philharmonic Youth Orchestras members. We hope you enjoy “I am the American Flag.”
As the Fourth of July Holiday approaches, the Philharmonic’s Musicians, Staff, and Youth Orchestra Students are thinking of you. While we are not able to gather together this year, we wanted to offer you this moving piece by Indianapolis based composer Jim Beckel Music - Composer. Using the composer’s at home recording we created a special patriotic video incorporating local area imagery obtained in cooperation with The History Center, The US National Archives, local photographers Ray Steup, John McGauley and Allen County Public Library Community Album. Narration is provided by Fort Wayne Philharmonic Youth Orchestras members.
We hope you enjoy “I am the American Flag.”
We're excited to announce plans for a new home downtown! 🌟 Today, we turn a new chapter as we prepare to embark on our...
We're excited to announce plans for a new home downtown! Today, we turn a new chapter as we prepare to embark on our 82nd season, marking a vibrant new era for our beloved orchestra.
We are thrilled to announce the purchase of our new home, 826 Ewing Street, right here in the heart of downtown. Our new home will be more than just a physical space—it will be a dynamic hub for the arts, nestled within the expanding arts corridor of our growing downtown landscape.
The Fort Wayne Philharmonic announced Monday they will be moving to a new home downtown. The plan is to repurpose a downtown building once owned by the University of St. Francis.
To learn more about the move, check out the full story by WBOI's Ella Abbott.
Ca. 1911, 114 W. Washington Blvd. was added to the National Historic Register in 1988 and to the Local Historic Register in 1989. See Fort Wayne Printing Building history with photos and timeline on midtowncrossing.net.
The Top Ten of Fort Wayne Sports History Photo Story published July 20, 2014 by Chris Treft on YouTube
A top ten list of things Fort Wayne Sports History has produced all time. This is in the form of a photo story with all pictures taken by myself, Chris Treft. This project was completed for my photo journalism class at IPFW.
Fort Wayne, Ind. – The City of Fort Wayne and Fort Wayne Trails invite the public to attend a public open-house to view the concept for the Vann Family Crossing pedestrian bridge that will be constructed over Coliseum Boulevard/State Road 930. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 if additional funding is secured. The City is applying for a U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program grant. Community engagement is an important component of this federal grant, so the public’s participation is welcomed and appreciated.
Plans for the Pufferbelly Trail extension from Ice Way to Washington Center Road will also be presented. Work on the 1.7 mile extension will begin in August and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025. The extension is a segment of the 81-mile Poka-Bache Connector trail from Pokagon State Park in Angola to Ouabache State Park in Bluffton.
Ship ID-3786 - was a 6245 gross ton (12,260 tons displacement) freighter, built in 1918 by Baltimore Drydock and Shipbuilding Co., Baltimore, Maryland; acquired by the Navy 27 December 1918 the last year of World War I; and commissioned as USS Fort Wayne (ID # 3786) the same day, Lieutenant Commander S. C. Fenn, USNRF, in command. After the war it became the SS Fort Wayne and scrapped in Japan in 1934. See photos and information on S.S. Fort Wayne (American Freighter, 1918) Served as USS Fort Wayne (ID # 3786) in 1918-1919 on the Naval Historical Center web site, and USS Fort Wayne (ID-3786) on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Today, we turn a new chapter as we prepare to embark on our 82nd season, marking a vibrant new era for our beloved orchestra.
