Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

Johnny Appleseed sections or pages: Burial Site - Carving - Canterbury Green Stone - Chapman Apple Trees - Documents - Estate notice - Festival - Fortriede book - Johnny Appleseed Memorial Bridge - Newspaper articles - Obituary - Publications - Stuff

Is located in Swinney Park near the Old Settlers Swinney Homestead Log Cabin.

Photo from a February 21, 2013 discussion on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook, unable to find the original source. The Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library has similar images titled: THE JOHN CHAPMAN, JOHNNY APPLESEED, MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED IN HIS MEMORY AND IS LOCATED IN SWINNEY PARK. showing the bronze tablet and JOHNNY APPLESEED MONUMENT AT SWINNEY PARK from a Johnny Appleseed search of their collection.
The bronze plaque is shown on page 305 in the ebook below and an April 25, 1916 Fort Wayne Sentinel newspaper article.

Pages 304-317, Johnny Appleseed Memorial Notes by the Secretary with photos in Transactions of the Indiana Horticultural Society ... Being a Report of the ... Annual Meeting ... by Indiana Horticultural Society · 1917 a Google eBook. Also at HathiTrust.

Dedicated May 5, 1916 the monument was discussed in many newspaper articles on the days before and after May 5, 1916. A photo of the monument is on page 20 of Monuments Plaques Markers in City Parks Fort Wayne, Indiana ebook Revised and Compiled Through June 1963 by Bernard J. Reul, photos by Harry Grabner Allen County - Fort Wayne Historical Society 1964 and page 20 of Indiana. Fort Wayne the same book with a different title by Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection Publication date 1963 both on Archive.org.

The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette 06 May 1916, Saturday, page 1. Clipped by StanFollisFW 18 Feb 2022 clipping image

This 1916 newspaper article above is one of 100 on the Johnny Appleseed Newspaper page.

Page 566, The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River, Griswold, 1917. On the 5th of May, 1916, a bronze tablet in commemoration of the life work of John Chapman ("Johnnie Appleseed") was unveiled in Swinney Park by the Indiana Horticultural Society. The tablet reads: " 'Johnnie Appleseed' (John Chapman), born in Massachusetts, 1776; died near Fort Wayne, 1843; buried in David Archer cemetery ; pioneer apple grower of Indiana and Ohio. The Indiana Horticultural Society and all those who are endeavoring to carry on the work he nobly commenced join in dedicating this monument to the memory of his deeds." William Walton, of LaPorte, Indiana, president of the Indiana Horticultural Society, delivered the principal address, followed by Mayor William J. Hosey, and Dr. Alfred Vivian, dean of the Ohio Agricultural College. Songs by the school children included a composition by Miss Ruth Caldwell entitled "Johnnie Appleseed"; Edward R. Smith, president of the Indiana Apple Show Commission, and Prof. C. G. Woodbury also participated in the ceremony of dedication. (See Chapter XXIX.) See Indiana Horticultural Society information below.

See the full page May 6, 1916 newspaper article with photos.

Johnny Appleseed Memorial Friday afternoon May 5th the Society will hold suitable services in Fort Wayne in memory of Johnny Appleseed. A monument will be unveiled at this time in Swinney park. A suitable iron fence will be erected around the Johnny Appleseed grave in the Archer cemetery just north of Fort Wayne Every loyal member of the Society should plan to be on hand at this time to take part in these memorial exercises for this pioneer horticultural character. From page 386 Transactions of the Indiana Horticultural Society ..., Volume 56 By Indiana Horticultural Society a Google ebook. See Google map image of wrought iron fence.

Practical Hint No 3 May 29th 1916

May 5th 1916 Friday afternoon, May 5th, an enthusiastic gathering of northern Indiana fruit growers met to dedicate a monument to Johnny Appleseed. The exercises were held in Swinney park, where the monument was placed. This monument consists of a huge granite boulder which supports a bronze tablet bearing a bas relief of Johnny Appleseed and a suitable inscription. The boulder is uncut, being left just as it came from the field so as to be more in keeping with the character of Johnny Appleseed. The meeting was called to order at 2:30 by President Walton. Those in attendance were then addressed by Mayor W. E. Hosey, of Fort Wayne; Dean Alfred Vivian, of the Ohio Agricultural College; Prof. C. G. Woodbury, Chief in Horticulture, Purdue University; Colonel D. N. Foster, Chairman of the Fort Wayne park board and E. R. Smith of Indianapolis. Mr. Smith read a letter from Hon. Stephen Fleming of Fort Wayne, whose generosity made it possible for the Society to erect this monument. Eight hundred Fort Wayne school children sang appropriate songs at these exercises, one of which was especially composed for this occasion by Miss Ruth Caldwell of the Fort Wayne schools. A substantial iron fence was also erected around the grave site in the David Archer cemetery north of Fort Wayne. The Indiana Horticultural Society is to be congratulated on having such a loyal friend as the Hon. Stephen Fleming. He financed the entire scheme of erecting this memorial to Johnny Appleseed. Our only regret is that more of our members could not have been present at this very pleasing ceremony.

From page 387 Transactions of the Indiana Horticultural Society ..., Volume 56 By Indiana Horticultural Society a Google ebook.

Copied from a February 22, 2013 post by Barb Arnold on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook which she said is from the Google book.

On January 15, 2023 Gary Fisher from Payne, Ohio posted this image of his grandfather Harry Schmidt on the Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne Indiana page on Facebook. Harry was born in 1901 Payne, Ohio and married in 1924, so this photo is likely taken in the 1920s.

The "Johnny Appleseed" [ John Chapman ] marker at The Historical Marker Datatbase HMdb.org says the 1916 stone is near 1424 West Jefferson Blvd. which is actually the other side of the Swinney Homestead. I have a photo taken in 2006 with the tennis courts in the background that shows the 1916 stone facing Washington Blvd. towards a concrete memorial with a bronze bust on the southwest side of the Old Settlers garden. The 1916 stone is near a very tall pine tree up the hill barely visible on Google Street view with the red brick Old Settlers house on the left, a new utility brown pole in the 2019 Google image near West Washington Blvd. and small grove of crabapple trees on the right taken near the entrance to Swinney Park. See HMdb map.

The May 5, 1916 Johnny Appleseed Memorial stone at Swinney Park is similar to a memorial stone found on the 9th hole of the Canterbury Green Golf Course.

Google map photo is Street View from October 2016 which shows a better view of the stone in the center of image up the hill

Apple recipes in Johnny Appleseed Almanac by Old Fort Settlers (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Publication date 1975 on Archive.org

Back to top