Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

Go to Swinney Homestead Logcabin or Swinney Park

1600 West Jefferson Street View photo from Google map

A log cabin is now the home of Settlers, Inc on the west side of Fort Wayne. The Swinney house was built by Thomas and Lucy Swinney in 1844. At his death on January 20, 1875, Thomas’s will provided that when his direct line of issue expired, the homestead tract of 614 acres of land was to be used for a public park with the provision that his remaining children have lifetime occupancy of the house. The Swinney family occupied the Homestead until 1922. After that time, the Swinney’s house became the Museum of the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society. In 1980, after the Museum was relocated to the Old City Hall at Barr and Berry streets, Settlers leased and moved into the Swinney House and began teaching classes in a historical, elegant setting. As part of their mission they also initiated the restoration of the house which is owned by the City of Fort Wayne. Copied from the Settlers website: http://www.settlersinc.org/.

Swinney Park

East Swinney Park entrance on West Washington Boulevard Street View photo from Google map

West Swinney Park entrance at 1800 West Jefferson Boulevard Street View photo from Google map.

Originally part of the Swinney Homestead, East Swinney Park since 1869 is 46 acres, and West Swinney since 1918 is 48 acres. Swinney Park at City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation. Almost 200 images for a Swinney Park search in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library.

1. Almost 200 Swinney Park photos in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library.

2. Japanese Gardens - Adolph Jaenicke Gardens

   

   Japanese Gardens, Swinney Park, Fort Wayne, IN, alternate view, 1936. in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. Photo and history discussed February 7, 2025 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

   

   Japanese Gardens, Swinney Park, Fort Wayne, IN, crowd at dedication ceremony.  in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library.

   Swinney Japanese Pavilion Swinney Park, 1500-1600 Jefferson Blvd.

   1941 - A pilgrimage to Rose and Japanese Gardens in Fort Wayne

   Article from Jun 26, 1941 The Star Press (Muncie, Indiana) 1941, Japanese gardens

   1941 - A pilgrimage to Rose and Japanese Gardens in Fort WayneThe Star Press, Muncie, Indiana, Thursday, June 26, 1941, Page 4.

   A pilgrimage to Rose and Japanese Gardens in Fort Wayne was made today by Mrs. W. F. Bonge, Mrs. Willis Green, Mrs. S. O. Wearly, Mrs. James Crabill, Mrs. H. G. Morgan and Miss Ely.

   1942 - Rename Japanese Gardens - Fort Wayne - Adolph Jaenicke Gardens

   Article from May 15, 1942 The Times (Hammond, Indiana) 1942, Wwi, Japanese gardens, Adolph jaenicke gardens

   1942 - Rename Japanese Gardens - Fort Wayne - Adolph Jaenicke Gardens The Times, Hammond, Indiana, Friday, May 15, 1942, Page 17.

   Rename Japanese Gardens

   FORT WAYNE.-A Fort Wayne beauty spot, known until last December as the Japanese Gardens, today WAS renamed [ May 14, 1942 ] Adolph Jaenicke Gardens in honor of the superintendent of city parks. Signs identifying the park as "Japanese Gardens" were removed soon after Dec. 7, and citizens later presented petitions asking a name change.

   

   Postcard File:Jaenicke Gardens, Swinney Park, Fort Wayne, Indiana (75556).jpg on Wikimedia Commons.

   1991 - Rename gardens? - change Jaenicke Gardens back to Japanese Gardens

   Article from Dec 4, 1991 The Kokomo Tribune (Kokomo, Indiana) 1991, Jaenicke gardens, Japanese gardens

   1991 - Rename gardens? - change Jaenicke Gardens back to Japanese Gardens The Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo, Indiana, Wednesday, December 4, 1991, Page 24.

   Rename gardens?

   FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) -It's time to forget what happened 50 years ago, says an engineer who worked to beat the Japanese in World War II. Wayne Pribble, 76, of New Haven, wants Fort Wayne to change the name of Jaenicke Gardens in Swinney Park back to Japanese Gardens, its name before World War II. After the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the city renamed the west-side garden in honor of Adolph Jaenicke, a former parks superintendent.

   Mayor Paul Helmke said Tuesday he has told the city's Department of Parks and Recreation about the idea, but he's not eager to change the name. Last week, Pribble sent Helmke a letter suggesting the city mark the anniversary of Pearl Harbor by restoring the name "Japanese Gardens.'

3. Tidbits of history in The strings of our hearts: Swinney legacy to city blessedly includes tennis Timothy S. Goeglein April 10, 2024 The Journal Gazette newspaper.

4. The Swinney letterbed has had its spring haircut, courtesy of the FWPR landscape and horticulture crew. See it in person in front of the Swinney Park Tennis Courts.

   Posted by Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation on Monday, April 1, 2024

   Monday, April 1, 2024 post by Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation on Facebook:

   The Swinney letterbed has had its spring haircut, courtesy of the FWPR landscape and horticulture crew. See it in person in front of the Swinney Park Tennis Courts.

5. May 25, 2018 post by ARCH, Inc. on Facebook:

   Congratulations to Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation, the winner of the ARCHie award in the institutional/government category, for its restoration of the Colonel Foster statue in Swinney Park.

   #thisplacematters #preservation

6. May 12, 2022 post by The Journal Gazette on Facebook:

   HISTORY JOURNAL ▸ The bronze sculpture of David N. Foster at Swinney Park was dedicated 100 years ago this week. The statue, designed by Chicago sculptor Frederick Hibbard, was unveiled to a crowd of several thousand people on May 14, 1922. Read more: https://www.journalgazette.net/.../may-14-1922-dedication...

   (The Journal Gazette's headline from May 15, 1922, is inset with this photo taken Monday. Some letters are obscured because of damage to the page before it was put on microfilm decades ago.)

   #fortwayne #indiana #parks #swinneypark #tbt #throwbackthursday #history | Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation

A 19th-century pedestrian bridge west of downtown that has been closed for about a decade will be rehabilitated after Fort Wayne City Council approved the $1.2 million-plus project Tuesday.

Mechanic Street Bridge crosses St. Marys River, connecting Swinney Park to several neighborhoods to the north including Nebraska, Hamilton and North Highlands. The bridge was built in 1898 by King Bridge Co. with a Pratt truss design and lattice railings.

After being used for more than 100 years, the 180-foot-long bridge shows severe rusting and other signs of aging. A structural engineer report in 2014 led to the closure of the bridge due to safety risks.

Fort Wayne City Council approves rehabilitation of historic Mechanic Street Bridge Marilyn Kidd May 7, 2024 The Journal Gazette newspaper.

Shared May 9, 2024 by Three Rivers Active Streets on Facebook.

As Fort Wayne continues to develop, it’s easy for history to be lost, but one landmark that shares its birth year with the start of the Spanish-American War won’t share the same fate.

Posted by WANE 15 on Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Tuesday, May 14, 2024 post by WANE 15 on Facebook:

As Fort Wayne continues to develop, it’s easy for history to be lost, but one landmark that shares its birth year with the start of the Spanish-American War won’t share the same fate.

Historic Fort Wayne bridge gets funding; repairs coming soon

In 1898, the city finished the Mechanic Street bridge. Until recently, it still carried pedestrians from Mechanic Street across the St. Marys River to Swinney Park, but the bridge has seen better days.

“Currently, the bridge is unpassable and closed for use,” reads a message to Fort Wayne City Council from Dave Weadock, manager of project administration with the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department.