By the middle of the 19th century, many of Fort Wayne’s founding generation had passed away. On June 13, 1866, Hanna’s funeral was held in Fort Wayne in the Hanna Homestead. The funeral was one of the largest ever seen in the region and was estimated by the Fort Wayne Daily Gazette to be attended by 4,000 people. Following the funeral, 1,200 people proceeded from the home to the family burial plot at Lindenwood Cemetery. The report in the newspaper the following day ended with these words: “May his memory ever be cherished fresh and fragrant, as the leaves of June, beneath which we lay him down to rest.”
Samuel Hanna was one of the first associate judges, the other associate judge was Benjamin Cushman. They were both elected and served at the same time. Hanna served only briefly, from 1824 to 1827, while Cushman served from 1824 to 1833. Neither was a lawyer. Copied from History is in session Courthouse,occupants getbook treatment published May 12, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
He brought the Wabash and Erie Canal, railroads and more to Fort Wayne. Residence of Judge Samuel Hanna Lewis Street 1876 published in Illustrated historical atlas of the State of Indiana on Dave Rumsey Map Collection.
Hanna Homestead now Hanna Homestead Park was located at the intersection of Gay Street and Lewis Street.
The Hanna homestead by Kevin Leininger published September 19, 1982 in Cityscapes archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper. Hanna Homestead Park website states it is located at the intersection of Gay Street and Lewis Street. In 1962 the old Hanna Homestead house was torn down. The home, on what was originally a 10-acre tract, was built in 1839 by Samuel Hanna. Before the Homestead was torn down it was used as the home for crippled children. Efforts were unsuccessful to preserve the home as a historic landmark. The property was donated to the Fort Wayne Community Schools by Eliza Hanna Hayden, in memory of her father, Samuel Hanna. The Fort Wayne Community Schools gave Hanna Homestead to the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department by Quit Claim deed on January 10, 1966. The property was then developed into a park. See article about the Hanna Family portrait Off the Cuff: Fort Wayne's Past in a Portrait by K Thompson published August 13, 2018 on Articulate From the Fort Wayne Museum of Art blog. The life and character of Hon. Samuel HannaGoogle 51 page ebook. HANNA FAMILY COLLECTION, CA. 1880-1920S, Collection # P 0789 BV 5461-5462 at the Indiana Historical Society.
This notable Queen Anne brick house, built c.1880, is on East Lewis Street in Hanna’s 1st Addition, platted in 1837....
This notable Queen Anne brick house, built c.1880, is on East Lewis Street in Hanna’s 1st Addition, platted in 1837. Samuel Hanna was the most successful of a small group of early Fort Wayne investors and entrepreneurs. He was one of the directors in the company that started the first system of public transportation in 1872. One of the streets on the first horse-drawn streetcar line was East Lewis as far as the Bass Foundry. It made commuting to work and shopping much easier. This brick Queen Anne has a lovely oculus window in the gabled wall dormer. We know in the early 1900’s boiler maker Christian Narwold and his wife Sophia moved in and lived here for over 20 years. ARCH is proud to present this edition of Throwback Thursday, part of its work as the historic preservation organization serving the greater Fort Wayne area, made possible by ARCH members and donors. Thank you.
Capturing the people and world around us has long been an aspiration for humanity. Through photography families were able to preserve images of their members for future generations. Photography grew in Fort Wayne, with the first recorded photographers (numbering 3) being found in the 1858 Fort Wayne City Directory. These early local photographers were engaged in the process of making ambrotypes. They later moved on to producing Carte de Visites and Albumen prints. One family that availed themselves of this new medium was the Samuel Hanna family. Samuel Hanna come to Fort Wayne in 1819 and became a successful and prominent businessman. The Hanna Family Album, which includes these images, was donated to the Historical Society this month. It records members of this prominent family, which includes the Hanna, Hayden and Shoaff families, from the mid to late 19th century. #sociallyhistory
The complete album, recently digitized by the Allen County Public Library, can be found in their Allen County Community Album:
