Allen County, Indiana Places

F Names

Fall Out Shelter

See Murland E. Anderson.

Falstaff Brewery

The Last Days of Falstaff Brewing Ft. Wayne 1989 by John Smallshaw published on Feb 6, 2017.

Formerly Berghoff Brewing at 1019 Grant Avenue. Fort Wayne operations started on April 12, 1954, when Falstaff bought the Berghoff Brewing Company. The corporation also brewed in St. Louis, New Orleans, Galveston, El Paso, Omaha, San Jose, San Antonio and San Francisco. The Falstaff Corporation was bought by Paul Kalmanovitz's brewing conglomerate, General Brewing, in 1975. At that time it made 1.2 million barrels annually at the Fort Wayne plant. Headquarters was moved to Fort Wayne in 1977. After the 1990 closing of the last Falstaff brewery in Fort Wayne, the brand name became a licensed property of Pabst, which continued to produce Falstaff Beer through other breweries. Having sold only 1468 barrels of the brand in 2004, Pabst discontinued production of the Falstaff label in May 2005. Copied from A look into Fort Wayne beer history by Jaclyn Goldsborough published December 26, 2013 in The News-Sentinel newspaper. Storage tanks were eventually sold to a brewery in China. Falstaff Brewery Closing In Ft. Wayne published November 09, 1989 in the Chicago Tribune.

Old Federal Building

Located at the southeast corner of Berry and Clinton Streets which housed the Post Office and Federal Courtroom. Built in 1889 and razed in 1938, it was replaced by the new Federal Building on Harrison Street in 1932. A Fort Wayne Through Time Leftovers: The book, Fort Wayne Through Time.

Fort Wayne Post Office 1889 – 1932
By Randy Harter
Fort Wayne Reader
2018-10-05

1900 Old Post Office

Our city’s first post office was in Hanna & Barnett’s general store at Barr and Columbia Streets. Samuel Hanna, appointed in 1820, was our first postmaster. The post office would go on to have a few other locations, including on Court Street facing the Courthouse, before this magnificent building pictured here was completed in 1889. The site of this post office (also known as the Federal or Government Building) was at the southeast corner of East Berry and Clinton Streets; the lot was purchased in 1883 for $34,000. However, due to the wait for further appropriations, it would not be until 1885 that construction began.

Designed in Washington, D. C. under the direction of Mifflin E. Bell (Supervising Architect of the U. S. Treasury Department) in the Richardsonian Romanesque style popular in the late 1800’s, the building’s turret reached a height of 115 feet above the ground making it among the tallest structures in the city when it was completed at a cost of $215,000.

To the chagrin of officials in Indianapolis, rather than being built of limestone from southern Indiana, it was constructed of buff sandstone from the Stony Point, Michigan quarry owned by Fort Wayne businessman Steven B. Bond. Bond later also supplied the sandstone for the City Building (now the History Center) one block east, completed in 1893.

In addition to the post office on the first floor, beginning in 1903, the building also housed the Federal Court on the second floor as well as other federal offices including the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Marshal’s office. This building was replaced by the new post office and federal courthouse building on Harrison between Douglas and Brackenridge in 1932. The pictured old post office building was razed in 1938 and the site is now part of the parking lot for Citizens Square.

(Image Courtesy ACPL)

A tip of the hat to research by Hon. Judge William Lee and postal historian John Kalb.

Randy Harter is a Fort Wayne historian, author of three books on local history and the history/architecture guide for Fort Wayne Food Tours.

Felger's Peat Moss

9912 Valentine Road, (260) 693-3134, felgerspeatmoss.com, started in 1953 by Ruth and Herb Felger sells mulch, peat moss, soils and stone. See video History of Fort Wayne Business - Felger's Peat Moss by Al Crain-Shick on Indiana NewsCenter or The Family Stone by Jennifer Bloomquist and Jeffrey Crane published May 1, 2015 on BusinessPeople.

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Firestone Tire Building

Built in the 1920s at 502 W. Jefferson Blvd. for Firestone Tires. According to McMahon Tires About Us page it was McMahon Tires from 1969 until sometime after they opened their Glenbrook Store in 1981 and before Starbucks Coffee remodeled and opened in 2006. See several photos posted August 8, 2017 including a September 7, 2006 The News-Sentinel newspaperarticle about the building on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

First National Bank of Fort Wayne

May 25, 1913 news article October 25, 1913 building shown in newspaper posted May 5, 2016 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.

Wabash & Erie Canal scene

The Fort Wayne & Erie canal scene of activities about the canal as it existed in early days. The large brick building in the background is still standing & was known as the "Hedekin House", an hotel, or rather a tavern. A very very significant building in early days. On north wall of bank lobby, First Natl. Bank, Fort Wayne, Indiana. (1876- ) Artist Robert Wadsworth Grafton (in who's who), Chicago, Ill. Courtesy of Charles M. Weizer, President First Natl. Bank, Fort Wayne, Indiana (see correspondence) 10/20/28 at the New York Public Library Digital Collections

See the Wabash & Erie Canal.

Image was discussed December 3, 2023 of Facebook.

  1. A small book called George Washington and Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne: First National Bank, 1924, Bert Griswold, mentioned on page 139 of Historical sources of Fort Wayne, Indiana : an annotated bibliography for doing historical research on the summit city in the Allen County Public Library by Beatty, John D., 1960-, Publication date 2000. George Washington and Fort Wayne 977.274 G88G at Allen County Public Library.
  2. The 50th anniversary celebration posted May 21, 1913 Fort Wayne News posted April 21, 2017 and May 22, 1913 Fort Wayne Daily News photo posted March 28, 2017 discussion on.
  3. Extensive history including photos of bank notes issued by the bank on FNB/First and Hamilton NB/First and Tri State NB & TC, Fort Wayne, IN (Charter 11-2701-11) at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Private Money in our Past, Present, and Future at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
  4. Eldest Bloodiest Bank in Indiana! The Old Old-First National Fort Wayne National National City Bank, Fort Wayne, Indiana old website on FrankKryder.com.

Fisher Bros. Paper Company

Founded: 1882, Location: East Berry Street, Fort Wayne (1882– ); 23 East Columbia Street (1887); 125 Calhoun Street (1893, 1899); 1005 Clinton Street ( –1903); 1007 Calhoun Street (1903– 6); 130-132 West Columbia Street (1906–14); 118–122 West Columbia Street (1914– ); 4115 Paper Place (1971, 1995); 4415 Hartman Road (1996– ) In 1882 Samuel S. Fisher purchased the interest of Meyer L. Graff in the Webb & Graff paper firm in Fort Wayne. Samuel was the son of Isaac Fisher, a German-Jewish immigrant butcher, and he worked in his father’s meat market as a young man. After his initial investment, Samuel Fisher rapidly assumed control of Webb & Graff. In March 1882 he bought out A. M. Webb and less than two months later purchased the interest of Harry Graff. Samuel’s brother Max B. Fisher then joined him in the business, which was located on East Berry Street. Read more on Fisher Bros. Paper Company on IndianaHistory.org.

Fisher West Farm

17935 West Road Street View photo from Google Maps

A historic home and farm located in Perry Township. The farmhouse was built about 1860, and is a two-story, Italianate style brick dwelling. It consists of a two-story, main block topped by a low hipped roof and belvedere; a two-story hip roofed wing; and one story gabled kitchen wing. It features a full-width front porch. Also on the property are the contributing gabled rectangular bank barn and shed-roofed pump house. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 from a November 26, 1984 application.

Flats

Usually referring to the Jailhouse Flats.

Flick House

June 21, 2020 post by Historic 07 District - Fort Wayne on Facebook. Shared June 21, 2020 by Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana on Facebook with additional photos in the comments by a Flick descendant.

This beautiful home known as the Flick House was built in 1897 in what is now the Broad River Neighborhood Association - Fort Wayne. The Flick family made their living as florists in the area. The family operated multiple locations including one in Broad River and one downtown. The building downtown was purchased in 1923 for $210,000 which was a huge sum at the time. The location eventually became the Ash Skyline Plaza owned by Ash Brokerage. 

Flood of 1982

President Ronald Reagan came to Fort Wayne where he threw a couple of sand bags for national photo ops in the Lakeside Neighborhood. See our Flood of 1982 page.

Fortmeyer's Truck Stop

Long time truck stop in the county.

Fort Miamis

See our Forts of Fort Wayne page or Fort Miamis historical marker pageon IN.gov and Fort Miamis: The First European Settlers by Rick Willison. He has several more pages on early Fort Wayne history.

Fort Recovery

Tuberculosis recovery housing, need more research. See 1910s Fort Recovery, Allen County Indiana Historical Society photo.

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Foster Park

See our Foster Park page.

Four Presidents Corners

Street View photo from Google map

Since September 22, 1917, twin monuments have marked this rural intersection. Four Presidents Corners is the intersection of Maples and Sampson Roads in southeastern Allen County, Indiana, just northwest of Monroeville. This intersection is the junction of four townships, each named for a former president. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Andrew Jackson (the third, fourth, fifth, and seventh presidents) are the namesakes of the four townships. Copied from the Four Presidents Corners page of the Four Presidents Corners Historical Society Monroeville, Indiana.

  1. Photo: Four Presidents Corners Description: cars line up for the dedication at the intersection of Maples and Sampson Roads in Sept. 22, 1917. This intersection is the junction of four townships, each named for a former president at the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library.
  2. Monument photos at Monroeville, Indiana: Four Presidents Corners at RoadsideAmerica.com.
  3. Febuary 22, 2013 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook:

    About 1 year ago (February 28,2012) We wondered if any of you had ever heard of "Four Presidents Corner" in Allen County, Indiana. Several of you knew it was where four Townships, with Presidential names joined each other. From such modest beginnings, it has evolved into the ever popular Hofer and Davis, Inc. - LAND SURVEYORS "Riddle of the Week". Just last week when heading to Monroeville, Indiana, we snapped this picture of the monument documenting the site.

    Shared February 22, 2023 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

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Fox Island County Park

See the Fox Island County Park page.

Franke Park

See the Franke Park page.

Franke, Henry House

We’re going to the Henry Franke house in the 1200 block of East Lewis Street for today’s Throwback Thursday subject....

Posted by ARCH, Inc. on Thursday, October 8, 2020

Thursday, October 8, 2020 post by ARCH, Inc. on Facebook:

We’re going to the Henry Franke house in the 1200 block of East Lewis Street for today’s Throwback Thursday subject. German native John Franke learned the carpentry trade from his father. Wanting to find new opportunities, he came to the United States in 1881. He was a carpenter until he opened his lumber business at 1215 Hugh St. in 1893. According to Bert Griswold, “Pictorial History of Fort Wayne,” [ page 196 ] Franke “has a well-equipped and essentially modern plant devoted to the manufacturing of special lines of lumber products, particular attention being given to the output of high-grade interior finish, the same being used almost entirely by local contractors and builders in Allen County.” Franke’s business progressed from being powered by horses and steam to become a modern facility using electricity. He expanded his business interests and opened the Farmers’ Lumber & Shingle Company around 1902. His house was a Queen Anne style house, but the carriage house is the real showstopper. At first glance it looks like a church or old school. The gable-end carriage house has two dormer windows and is crowned by a four-sided, louvered cupola. Some of the original windows remain.

John B. and Amelia Franke House

Discussed on pages 304-309 of Prairie School architecture : studies from "The Western architect" Publication date 1983 on Archive.org.
Click link above will allow limited viewing of "Franke" pages if "Limited Preview" is showing!

2131 Forest Park Boulevard - Google map Street View. See our John B. Franke article. John B. and Amelia Franke House, 2131 Forest Park Boulevard, 1999 (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 3 photos at Indiana Landmarks Historic Architecture Collection of Indiana Memory. Was discussed with photos July 30, 2022 on Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne Private Facebook Group.

Frankenstein Drug Store

Frankenstein Drug Store

Owned by German born druggist named M.L. Frankenstein, located at the corner of Barr and Washington. The old Foellinger Building now occupies this spot. Listed in the 1890 city directory. Frankenstein Drug Store, 1890 by Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and authorpublshed September 23, 2014 in Fort Wayne Reader. Frankenstein Medicine bottles can be found for sale online.

Freight Depot

Formerly at 4th and Clinton Streets was torn down October 11, 2010 on Columbus Day. Owners tearing down historic 4th Street depot; City official ‘surprised and unaware' of building's demolitionby Kevin Leininger published October 12, 2010 in The News-Sentinel newspaperarchived on Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Fruehauf Trailer Corporation

Fruehauf Trailer Corporation on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. The unexpectedly fascinating story of the Fruehauf Trailer Co. How a Detroit blacksmith revolutionized motorized transportation by Graham Kozak published June 26, 2015 on AutoWeek.com. Photo posted February 19, 2024 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

Furnis Ice Cream

Was at 615 Lafayette, 1916 moved to end of Clay near Columbia Street bridge.

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