Williams Woodland Park Historic District is an example of a multiple property district from item #5 in from 10 Things to Know About Historic Preservation in Fort Wayne at City of Fort Wayne. The Williams Woodland Park Local Historic District was originally established in 1985. A slightly modified area was listed on the National Register in 1991. The district is considered significant as an early example of a planned residential development in Fort Wayne, as an intact collection of outstanding late-19th/early-20th century domestic architecture, and for its association with many prominent Fort Wayne cititzens--including Jesse Williams, the original owner of much of the land that eventually developed into the neighborhood.
Copied from their website: www.williamswoodlandpark.com.
See the 29-page list of History of Our Homes pdf from their History page. They have Facebook pages for both Williams Woodland Park Neighborhood #WWPNrocks Turn of the century 'hood in downtown Ft. Wayne. Historically hip, 46807 cool. Check us out!
and Williams-Woodland Park Historic District The Williams–Woodland Park Local Historic District was established in 1985 and is a national historic district located at Fort Wayne, Indiana. The district encompasses 287 contributing buildings in a predominantly residential section of Fort Wayne located approximately one mile south of downtown. The area was developed from about 1875 to 1940, and includes notable examples of Colonial Revival, Prairie School, and Queen Anne style residential architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
They have an annual home tour in December.
1903 home in the 2400 block of Hoagland Avenue Restoring historic house a labor of love in Williams Woodland Park, June 6, 2013, Heather Detzner, The News-Sentinel newspaper.
December 18, 2023 post by the Genealogy Center on Facebook:
New collection alert
The Williams-Woodland Park Neighborhood Collection contains images and documents relating to the history of Fort Wayne's first "planned" neighborhood and its early residents - the Williams-Woodland Park Historic District.
Browse the collection here: The Willams-Woodland Park Neighborhood Collection This collection contains images and documents relating to the history of Fort Wayne’s first “planned” neighborhood and its early residents— the Williams-Woodland Park Historic District.
May 8, 2022 post byHistoric 07 District - Fort Wayne on Facebook:
Some women's history might be preferred in honor of Mother's Day. The picture below is from the late 1800s, highlighting what was then known as Williams Grove. Today, we know this area as the Williams Woodland Park Neighborhood. Before housing was built, it served as a park. What a beautiful sight!
On June 4th, the neighborhood is having PorchFest 2022. Think “music festival with multiple stages,” but in our case, the stages will be porches! This will give you an excellent opportunity to see what the neighborhood looks like today. In the 1870s, though, this park was very active, including hosting some historical events.
In 1874, Williams Grove hosted one of the first large-scale events forming the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The WCTU was founded in late 1873, but by the summer of 1874, it had spread throughout the midwest. Women in the WCTU used temperance to enter into politics and further other progressive issues such as prison reform and labor laws.
The event at Williams Grove was attended by many and served as an important event for the newly formed group. Emma Malloy, from Elkhart, spoke to the audience stating, "mothers who have shed many bitter tears in secret, wives, whose hearts are breaking with misery, sisters carrying a weight of terrible agony, daughters with spirits depressed with grief, what shall we do?" You can likely read through the lines here to understand that there was a physical and emotional abuse to the concerns of alcohol as well.
Eventually, the WCTU grew to such prominence that progressive issues such as temperance turned into the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) and the Nineteenth Amendment (All Sexes May Vote). While one survived and the other did not, Williams Grove served as a historical location for these important movements.
Happy Mother's Day!
Williams Grove photo by B. J. Griswold in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Libraryshared May 9, 2022 from post from
November 13, 2023 post by Williams Woodland Park Neighborhood on Facebook:
Williams Woodland began as an certified public park, a lush forest oasis just outside the hubbub of the City. This gazebo structure is believed to have existed on what is now Woodland Ave between Hoagland and Webster. Soon houses began to be constructed around the exterior of the park and on a single day in October 1903 a lottery auction was organized by Louis Curdes, a local developer and WWPN resident. Most of the lots in the park were transferred to individuals to begin building the houses of what is now known as Williams Woodland Park Neighborhood.
#holidayhometour2023 #williamswoodlandpark #wwpnrocks #dtfw #historic
#fortwayne #46807
🎉 Flashback Friday!!!..... we've come a long way since 1989 when we hosted our first Christmas Walk with five homes in...
Posted by Williams Woodland Park Neighborhood on Friday, November 15, 2024Friday, November 15, 2024 post by the Williams Woodland Park Neighborhood on Facebook:
Flashback Friday!!!..... we've come a long way since 1989 when we hosted our first Christmas Walk with five homes in the neighborhood opening their parlors for the inaugural event. It was a sign of major progress in our area and we haven't stopped moving forward since! We've now grown this year's tour to seven homes and one apartment in the beautiful Fairfield Manor and you'll see much more than just the parlors. We hope you'll join us on December 7th and 8th for this wonderful walking tour in historic Williams Woodland Park.