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F Named Places in Allen County, Indiana
Fairfield-Nestel Mansion
815 W. Creighton has been a home to a "giant" in Fort Wayne history and a home to "little people" who were internationally renowned on the stage. Captain Asa Fairfield came to Fort Wayne from Maine in 1833 with a princely sum of $30,000. He would eventually purchase the land and build this house. In 1880, Charles Nestel purchased the home. His son Charles and daughter Eliza, who were little people, traveled the United States and Europe as "Commodore Foote" and the "Fairy Queen".
Once home to wealth and fame, it had been marked for demolition. A column by Kevin Leininger published May 5, 2007 in The News-Sentinel newspaper reprinted on the web page Colorful past wins house a reprieve. on the website Munson, Underwood, Horn, Fairfield and Allied Families.
Will third time prove the charm for efforts to save colorfully historic house? Creighton Avenue house was once home to canal captain, world-famous dwarfs by Kevin Leininger published April 16, 2013 in The News-Sentinel newspaper .
Great Depression-era memories recall another use of Fairfield-Nestel House It served for about 10 years as a hospital for the ill, elderly and disabled. 815 W. Creighton Ave. — it served from about 1923 to 1933 as Anthony Wayne Hospital for Old People and Invalids. The research findings also provide a glimpse of what appeared to have been a difficult life for the hospital's matron, Anna F. Lepper. Much more in the article with no author listed, published July 20, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Was torn down August 7-8, 2017 and discussed August 8, 2017 on
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Historic Fairfield-Nestel House demolished Over the years, several owners had tried unsuccessfully to restore the house. was published August 8, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
August 9, 2017 commentary by Joe Real Estate Rennovations on Facebook.
19 photos and some history of the home were posted July 11, 2018 by Dan Baker on Facebook.
Fairfield Manor
Fairfield Manor Image 1927.
This article was written for and is courtesy of Fort Wayne Reader newspaper.
Olaf Nikolaus Guldlin, the president of the Fairfield Manor Realty Co., had been the founder in 1888 of the successful Western Gas Construction Company on Winter Street in Fort Wayne. Western Gas manufactured and constructed large gas producing plants for cities throughout the country that did not yet have natural gas piped to them. Guldlin and his investors sold Western Gas to the Koppers Corp. of Pittsburgh, PA in January of 1921.
Eleven months later, in December of 1921, his announcement of the proposed construction of the city’s first suburban high-rise luxury apartment building, at a cost of $750,000., was heralded in The Fort Wayne Sentinel. However, it would be another seven years before the building at 2301 Fairfield at Creighton Avenues would actually be completed in January of 1928. Part of the reason for this was that the area surrounding the project was an upper class neighborhood of opulent homes and there was significant opposition from nearby residents to the building. Interestingly, the Guldlin’s own grand residence was across the street (southwest corner) at 2306 Fairfield. A Speedway gas station now sits on part of the property that was his former home.
Utilizing a combination of Craftsman and Classic elements, Fairfield Manor was designed by at that time, the city’s most prominent architect, Charles R. Weatherhogg. Today, nearly 90 years later, the well maintained seven story building remains much the same and has 70 studio, one, two bedroom and larger custom apartments. At the time the building was completed, the rents were as follows: three-room apartment, $77.50; four-room, $105.00; and five-room at $124.00 per month. The apartments included gas ranges, electric refrigerators, and each was furnished with a “Murphy” bed that pivoted out of the wall.
The ground floor included a ladies reception room, lounge and card room, café-tea room, banquet room, large main kitchen, and a beauty shop. The building was originally to have a roof-top garden, and a putting green south of the parking lot, however in the end neither were incorporated. The building’s primary entrance still today features the original elaborate bronze and glass portico, and the interior public area showcases 1928’s marble baseboards, mixed mosaic and terrazzo floors, walnut wood panels and trim.
For most in Fort Wayne today, the name Guldlin isn’t associated with Olaf Guldlin, Western Gas Construction Co., or even the Fairfield Manor, but rather his wife Addie Guldlin. Mrs. Guldlin was an early civic activist and an advocate of safe playgrounds for children. Addie raised funds for the city’s first public playground, which under her direction was elaborately constructed with separate boys’ and girls’ swings, see-saws, sandboxes and wading pools on a six-acre site on Van Buren at the St. Mary’s River. Dedicated in 1911, the park was named in her honor. Sadly, two years later during Fort Wayne’s infamous 1913 Flood, much of the playground was washed away and is today an empty field, still called Guldlin Park.
(Image courtesy of ARCH)
Randy Harter is a Fort Wayne historian, author, and the history/architectural guide for Fort Wayne Food Tours. Posted November 19, 2017 on
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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.
Farnsworth TV and Radio Corporation
Opened for business on March 14, 1939 as Capehart-Farnsworth in Fort Wayne. The company produced radios, phonographs, and television equipment. See extensive information on Philo T. Farnsworth.
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, that photographer Dan Baker posted May 25, 2018 on his Facebook page and
Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and author, posted May 24, 2018 on
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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 newspaper article about the building on
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First National Bank of Fort Wayne
1863. February 16, 1924 celebration of a new building produced a small book called George Washington and Fort Wayne posted July 19, 2018 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on FacebookThe 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 the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
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.
Five way intersection at Sherman and Goshen Roads south of the Children's Zoo. Discussed March 16, 2017 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. Two 1920s service stations at the Five Points intersection on the Lincoln Highway were discussed in Historic Filling Stations Find New Life The well-designed filling stations of the early twentieth century prove ideal for adaptive reuse, while still reminding us of our automotive past posted August 16, 2018 by Indiana Landmarks. The stations are a 1926 Colonial Revival-style station 2624 Sherman Street used as a bait shop and 1927 Tudor Revival-style filling station used as a real estate office. The bait shop was razed May 29, 2019 so the intersection can be re-engineered into a round-about intersection. See demolition photo in the article Goodbye, North Side Bait and Tackle by Lisa Esquivel Long published May 29, 2019 on FWBusiness.com. 1934 photo posted May 4 2019 by Indiana Lincoln Highway Association on Facebook.
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. This information was copied from photos posted June 21, 2020 in a Facebook post by Historic 07 District - Fort Wayne with additional photos in the comments by a Flick descendant on a Shared post of the orginal Facebook post.
Flood of 1982
Brought President Ronald Reagan to Fort Wayne where he threw a couple of sand bags for national photo ops. See timeline when uploaded.
Hope Methodist Hospital was located on the corner of Lewis and Harrison Streets from 1917-1953 on the south side of the conservatory block. The conservatory opened in 1983, was named in honor of News-Sentinel publisher Helene Foellinger and Frank Freimann, president of Magnavox. "Surround yourself with nature at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory ~ an oasis in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne Indiana. Visit the Showcase Garden with its lush seasonal displays, wander through the Tropical Garden where orchids and palms thrive in the shadows of a cascading waterfall, or retreat to the quiet beauty of the Desert Garden." Fort Wayne’s Botanical Conservatory a Breath of Fresh Air on Visit Fort Wayne blog.
Foellinger Theatre
At the entrance to Franke Park and Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Facebook. Several photos posted September 24, 2017 on
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Mmanhole covers and more photos posted April 27, 2017 on
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See our Forts of Fort Wayne page. Reconstructed fort on Spy Run Avenue near downtown Fort Wayne across the St. Marys River from Headwaters Park. The History page on their web site: oldfortwayne.org briefly describes the various forts built near the three rivers. The bottom section titled The Reconstructed Fort states: This project began in 1964 when Historic Fort Wayne Inc. was established and started planning a reconstruction of the Fort, using Major Whistler’s 1814 drawings. After much fundraising, they purchased property in the late 1960’s and sought a fort builder. Lok-N-Logs Inc., a log home company in Sherburne, New York, took on the unusual project, constructing the Fort first in New York, then transporting it to Indiana, where it was reassembled. It officially opened shortly before July 4, 1976, to celebrate the nation’s Bicentennial, and remained open daily until the early 1990’s. Historic Fort Wayne Inc. disbanded in 1989, and the current Historic Fort Wayne, Inc. was formed in 2004 as a volunteer effort to preserve the Fort. Though they share a name, the two groups are not connected. Construction of the fort re-creation began in the summer of 1975. Work on the replica was not finished for its dedication June 5, 1976, but several hundred people turned out for the festivities. See the articles Historic Fort Wayne and Old Fort Wayne – Learn History In Person! by Louisa D. published June 8, 2015 on Visit Fort Wayne. See photos on Throwback Thursday: Old Fort published August 31, 2017 on The Journal Gazette newspaper. See their Facebook page - INFortWayne.com YouTubeBicentennial Celebration at Historic Fort Wayne. See photos and discussion January 17, 2017 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. 360 virtual photo tour on vpix.net. Photos of Old Fort Wishing Well posted August 6, 2017 and 1896 Fort Wayne watch fob photo discussed August 7, 2017 on
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Fort Wayne Arcade Building
See 1911 photo posted April 7, 2017 by Hoch Associates of their current location in 1911. Discussed in Fort Wayne by
Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and author, on Google books. Again May 19, 2017 with Comment photos of Indiana Gas Association 1911 article on it on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebookand shared May 19, 2017 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. WhatWasThere map location and photos.
Buildings of the Fort Wayne Campus by FW Alumni Centerpublished June 16, 2014 on YouTube This video is review of the Buildings of the Fort Wayne Campus of Fort Wayne Bible Training School/Fort Wayne Bible Institute/Fort Wayne Bible College/Summit Christian College and Taylor University Fort Wayne-five names for one institution. The dates given with the images are when the buildings were occupied, not when building was started.
Was at 800 West Rudisill Blvd. Photos and discussion February 4, 2017 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. The Light Tower was the name of the yearbook of Fort Wayne Bible Training School (1928-1931), Fort Wayne Bible Institute (1932-1950) and Fort Wayne Bible College (1951-1972);The Vine was the name of the yearbook from 1973-1989, and Summit Christian College (1990-1992); Taylor University Fort Wayne continued naming the yearbook, The Vine (1993-2003); The Vine DVDs were produced in the years 2004, 2005, 2006; No yearbooks were produced in 1929, 1931, 1933, 1934, 2007 or 2008;The Horizon Line was the last yearbook, 2009; The 1956 dedicated to Professor Oliver E. Steiner in his memory; Elaine Perry, editor; Founded Theta Beta; Nurses Training course. Copied from the 1956 ebook below: Fort Wayne Bible College Light Tower Yearbook . There are dozens of similar Fort Wayne Bible College publications on Internet Archive. Fort Wayne Bible College-97 Years of Memories 1, Memories-2, Memories-3, Memories-4 YouTubes.
Fort Wayne Box Building
The former box company built in 1904 was located on the northwest corner of Superior and Calhoun Streets. It produced cardboard art and business calendars, wood and glass souvenirs, leather goods, signs, and novelties. In 1910 the company bought out the Fort Wayne Engraving Company and moved its operations into the building. Graphic Packaging was the last owner to utilize the building before closing it in 2010. It is currently being converted into apartments called the Superior Lofts. Copied from Superior Lofts History and an overlayed photo ca. 1913 and 2017 posted September 19, 2018 by Daniel Baker on Facebook.
Fort Wayne Building Loan Fund & Savings Association
First of many such associations in late 19th century Fort Wayne. After 25 years loaning money to build around 2,000 homes in Fort Wayne for Pensylvania Shop railroad employees was disbanded in 1905. See July 30, 1905 The Journal Gazette newspaper article published July 30, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce
See History of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, Allen County, Indiana on The Genealogy Center. Building photos and discussion February 2, 2017 and on November 5, 2017 photos of Fort Wayne year book for 1906, put out by the Fort Wayne Commercial Club article titled Street and Interurban Electric Railways by Hon. James M. Barrett on the
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Opened July 3, 1965, on 5 1/2 acres in Franke Park. Over 6,000 people came on the first day to see the 18 animal exhibits. Copied from July 3, 2014 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook. kidszootube YouTube videos. 50th anniversary July 1, 2015 Twitter, YouTube 50th Birthday videos, Zoo celebrates 50th birthday in The Journal Gazette newspaper. July 11 Three Festival Parade theme Here's to Zoo!. Photos and discussion February 3, 2017 and photo of Spotlight on Fort Wayne magazine article by Earl Wells the zoo director on opening the zoo posted July 13, 2017 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. See photo of Frank Park Zoo Circus Wagon before it became the FWCZ posted May 3, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook. Many photos were posted on July 3, 1965: Fort Wayne Children's Zoo opens by Corey McMaken published April 25, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Fort Wayne City County Building
Ca. 1975 discussed May 26, 2017 by
Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and author, on
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Fort Wayne City Hall
Photos posted August 9, 2017 on
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The city water filtration plant video City Utilities Today created by Patrick Stelte published October 28, 2017 on Access Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne Clock
Discussion February 17, 2017 on
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Fort Wayne College
Established in 1846 as The Fort Wayne Female College on grounds donated by Wm. Rockhill, in 1855 it consolidated with the Fort Wayne Collegiate Institute for Young Men and was called the M.E. (Methodist) College. In 1890 the college grounds were deeded to Taylor University, and in 1893 it moved to Upland, Indiana home of Taylor University. See photo of stone marker on Thieme Drive along the river close to Wayne Street from the June 28, 2013 A short historical tour of central Fort Wayne by Nancy McCammon-Hansen on the History Center Notes & Queries blog. See also Fort Wayne Female College to Taylor University by Shirley Slater, Allen County Lines newsletter from the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, June 2013, Volume 37, Number 4, page 97. See 1864 photo posted May 12, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
Fort Wayne Developmental Center
Aka Indiana School for Feeble Minded Youth. Indiana’s second oldest mental health facility opened in 1879 at Knightstown. It was relocated to Fort Wayne in 1890. The first patient admitted that year was an eleven year old boy from Ossian, Wells County. It served mentally retarded children from throughout Indiana until 1939, when its service area was reduced to the northern half of the state. Its mission was expanded to include patients of all ages with other developmental disabilities. Before closure in 2007 the facility had admitted 12162 patients. The center’s admission registers, card index, and a nearly complete set of medical records on microfilm, are at the Indiana State Archives. Copied from Other Indiana Hospitals for the Mentally Ill and Developmentally Disabled at the Indiana Archives.
At Richmond, between 1887 and 1890, three of the completed buildings were occupied by "The School for Feeble Minded Youth." In 1890, these patients were transferred to what is now known as the "Fort Wayne Developmental Center." The buildings were refurbished and the hospital formally opened on July 29, 1890, with the first patient admitted on August 4, 1890. copied from Family and Social Services Administration on IN.gov.
Jerry Henry, son of social worker Jerome Henry, who lived in an old farm house on the school property in the 1950s-60s recalls growing up near the school and the cemetery that existed at that time. Research shows more than 200 graves existed, possibly more. The History Center was hoping to team with PFW archaeology students in the summer of 2020 before the COVID-19 Pandemic started to identify the boundaries of the cemetery. The AWS Foundation and the History Center as part of a project to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act are researching and documenting the history of the school and center to show how far society has progressed when it comes to people with disabilities. They are hoping to collect stories to used in a documentary by WFWA-TV PBS Fort Wayne.
In addition, the History Center will have a temporary exhibit the fall of 2020 that focuses on the center, how the region has understood the people at the school and artifacts from the school.
Read more in Days of a forgotten school Stories sought about memories of state center by Terri Richardson publilshed March 08, 2020 in The Journal Gazette newspaper .
Fort Wayne Driving Park
1892 Samuel Hanna sold 100 acres to the driving association formed by some of the city's wealthiest men. 1902 was Fort Wayne's first fair. Auto races were on a one-mile oval and by 1910 airplanes appeared. In 1913 the land was sold to developer Louis F. Curdes, developer of Forest Park Boulevard. It became Forest Hill through the 1940s. From Lost track fades from memory by Rosa Salter Rodriguez published July 07, 2013 in The News-Sentinel newspaper. See also Fort Wayne Driving Park by Mark Meyer posted February 11, 2013 on the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
Fort Wayne dump
There were many dumps around Fort Wayne. Some were discussed March 17, 2015 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
The officers of the new company, the Fort Wayne Electric Works, organized in May, 1899, were: Henry C. Paul, president; S. D. Green, vice-president; M. F. Westover, secretary, and Fred S. Hunting, treasurer and sales manager, while Mr. Wood continued his services as factory manager and chief electrician. From Fort Wayne Electric Works on VintageMachinery.org. The Fort Wayne lamp works of the Edison Lamp Works of General Electric was opened in September 1906. Several photos and a brief history on Fort Wayne on LampTech.com/uk. A Fort Wayne 12" Antique Desk Fan is discussed at Vintage Fans.com made by General Electric for FWEW . Photo and discussion September 29, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook. See General Electric.
Retired firefighter Don Weber complied more than 9,000 photos dating back to 1860 cataloged on the Allen County Community Album at the Allen County Public Library Fire Fighter Photographs.
Full Circle: Women in the Fort Wayne Fire Department
WFWA PBS39 2013 promotional documentary project about women in the Fort Wayne Fire Department featuring Fort Wayne's first female Fire Chief Amy Biggs and Fort Wayne's first female firefighter, Genois Wilson. From Pbs39 Productions on Facebook May 23, 2013.
In the era of gas lighting, Fort Wayne Gas Works, located on the site of today’s Hall’s Gas House restaurant on Superior Street between Barr and Lafayette streets, was the central public utilities operation in Fort Wayne. Copied from Under the Gas Lights by Tom Castaldi published May 23, 2013 on the History Center Notes & Queries blog. For more see Old Gas House.
The Fort Wayne Experiment discussed on pages 36-37 in The prefabrication of houses
by Albert Farwell Bemis Foundation; Kelly, Burnham Publication date 1951
During the Great Depression in the late 1930s prefabricated plywood-panel homes were built with WPA labor at the rate of one-a-day! One reference is labeled "Fifty Plywood-Panel Houses Built at Rate of One a Day," Architectural Record, LXXXV (March, 1939), 38–40 (this contains excellent photographs of the housing, examples of which appear on pages 362 and 363) from Fort Wayne and the Great Depression: The New Deal Years, 1933–1940 Iwan Morgan on Indiana Magazine of History, Volume 80, Issue 4, pp 348-378. There are photos on page 362 and 363 of their pdf download file or view the pdf here. These homes were discussed May 3, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebookand was in a Comment far down in the long discussion on Sears Home Kit homes January 25, 2018 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. Similar Tiny Houses also known as Tin Village barracks were built after World War II for returning war veterans.
Fort Wayne International Airport
See their Airport History See also Welcome to FWA: the Fort Wayne International Airport published March 19, 2012 and Fort Wayne Airport Offers Hoosier Hospitality – And a Cookie on the Side! published March 28, 2012 on the Visit Fort Wayne blog. The New York Times newspaper states the airport is a well-financed partnership with regional economic interests, and the fact that 75 percent of the passengers fly in and out of the airport on business, a high rate in their article Airlines Head Abroad, and Also Inland by Joe Sharkey published September 15, 2014. See photos and memorabilia at Baer Field Memories at The Genealogy Center. Since the late 1980s, volunteers have welcomed arriving passengers with almost 2 million individually wrapped Ellison Bakery Free cookies at Fort Wayne, IN as published in February 2015 by CNBC.com. See photos and discussion February 2, 2017 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. Fort Wayne is the hometown of Lt. Paul Baer, who flew with the French forces in World War I and was the first US pilot to achieve ace status. Fort Wayne is also the hometown of Arthur "Art" Roy Smith, who was one of the pioneer acrobatic fliers in the pre-World War I era. From Allen County Public Library Summary of the book Fort Wayne Aviation:: Baer Field and Beyond by Roger Myers, 2011. See Fort Wayne Aviation: Baer Field and Beyond by Roger Myers, Geoffrey Myers, Larry Myers. Google book January 2, 2012.
Manhole Covers of Ft. Wayne - a 128 page book by Kathryn Moore published in 1988 available on Google books was a FunFactFriday Facebook post on September 8, 2017 by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage)
Photos and discussion February 4, 2017 on
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Fort Wayne Medical College and the Fort Wayne College of Medicine
Both opened in the 1870's, leading to a sharp increase in body snatching and public outcry against the practice. Eventually, seven people associated with Fort Wayne Medical College were arrested in connection with these illegal activities. Finally, in 1879, the General Assembly of Indiana passed the Anatomical Act of 1879 which provided a lawful means by which medical schools could obtain bodies. Copied from an Apil 18, 2017 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook.
The Allen County Community Album at the Allen County Public Library photo on the right - Municipal Beach, Fort Wayne: now city utilities, showing swimmers, 1930s, west of St. Joseph River dam, with dam and utilities building in background is one of four photos in their collection. The beach was on the St. Joseph River at Johnny Appleseed Park across the parking lot from the current Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. It was popular from the 1920's through the late 1940's polio scare. A newspapert article Brown: Coliseum keeps adapting Booking acts gets more difficult as other venues open by Rosa Salter Rodriquez published December 4, 2017 in The Journal Gazette newspaper says that when the coliseum opened in 1953 there was a planned Phase 2 with a giant swimming pool and Phase 3 with a 3,500-seat auditorium. An educated guess is the pool was probably meant to replace the municipal beach that closed a few years before the coliseum opened. Various public pools in city parks and a few housing subdivisions opened in the 1960s likely negated the success of a giant swimming pool at the coliseum. This video and more discussed December 4, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
Fort Wayne National Bank
Photos circa 1969-1970 posted on February 28, 2017 discussion on
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Fort Wayne Post Office 1889 – 1932 by
Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and author, published October 5, 2018 in Fort Wayne Reader and discussed October 7, 2018 in
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Fort Wayne Printing Building
Ca. 1911, 114 W. Washington Blvd. was added to the National Historic Register in 1988 and to the Local Historic Register in 1989. See Fort Wayne Printing Building history with photos and timeline on midtowncrossing.net.
Built in 1928 by Frank Funk on farmland on the dirt road California Road north of where Glenbrook Square on Coliseum Blvd is today. See 5 pages of discussion with photos on Some History About Former Fort Wayne Speedway October 23, 2009 conversation on the Fencepost and October 2, 1960 photos and story "On This Day"... forgotten Fort Wayne Speedway lives posted October 2, 2015 on ARCAracing.com. See January 15, 2017 and March 20, 2017 photos and discussion on
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Fort Wayne Sports
Birthplace for some surprising sports history. History that resonates even today. We love sports. We love our teams: Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Fort Wayne Komets, Fort Wayne TinCaps. We are a true sports city. Copied from the April 28, 2017 post on Fort Wayne Magazine on Facebook. See their article Team Spirit Fort Wayne is rich in sports history by Jeff Wiehe published April 28th, 2017 in Fort Wayne Magazine. Video below is a look at Fort Wayne Sports History by Chris Treft for his photo journalism class at IPFW.
Fort Wayne Sports Club
Web site: www.fortwaynesportclub.com, since 1927, see Fort Wayne Sport Club celebrates 90 years with video by Sam Bauman published Mary 13, 2017 on WPTA21 ABC TV station. Fort Wayne Sports Corp. stopping operation Group helped bring in numerous events over 27 years by Blake Sebring was published September 14, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Fort Wayne Theaters
Over 30 photos of several theaters posted August 6, 2017 on
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Fort Wayne TinCaps
Baseball team, formerly the Wizards The Apple of Our Eye: The Story Behind the Fort Wayne TinCaps by Paul Caputo published January 10, 2015 on SportsLogos.Net. See an April 3, 2107 video on 25th anniversary of the Wizards/Tin Caps baseball in Fort Wayne posted April 3, 2017 by WANE-TV NewsChannel 15 on Facebook. See the TinCap Alumni List with over 150 Wizards and TinCap players since 1993 who made it to the major leagues.
Fort Wayne Trolley Coaches
Photo and discussion February 9, 2017 blue photoOrange photo, yellow photo on
You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... closed Facebook group. See the book Fort Wayne's Trolleys, 1870-1963: Horse Cars, Street Cars, Interurbans, Trolley Coaches, Motor Buses published in 1963 and expanded by 20 pages in 1975 at the Allen County Public Library. See also Fort Wayne IN Trolley Coaches Indiana Service Corporation (ISC) Fort Wayne Transit (FWT) on TrolleyBuses.net. Nancy Vendrely article Exposed trolley rails tell story of city's transportation history in The Journal Gazette newspaper posted February 7, 2018 on
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USS Fort Wayne
Ship ID-3786 - was a 6245 gross ton (12,260 tons displacement) freighter, built in 1918 by Baltimore Drydock and Shipbuilding Co., Baltimore, Maryland; acquired by the Navy 27 December 1918 the last year of World War I; and commissioned as USS Fort Wayne (ID # 3786) the same day, Lieutenant Commander S. C. Fenn, USNRF, in command. After the war it became the SS Fort Wayne and scrapped in Japan in 1934. See photos and information on S.S. Fort Wayne (American Freighter, 1918)
Served as USS Fort Wayne (ID # 3786) in 1918-1919 on the Naval Historical Center web site, and USS Fort Wayne (ID-3786) on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A nature preserve started around 1975 in the Allen County Parks Department. The 600-acre park contains the largest contiguous forest in the county and a 40-foot-high glacial sand dune which could give visitors some idea what the area looked like when explorers and pioneer settlers came to this area. Sol Fest is held every May since the 25th anniversary in 2000 in celebration of nature education at Fox Island with a mix of music and get outdoor oriented activities. See Rediscover outdoors at Sol Fest Annual event at Fox Island benefits county park efforts by Keiara Carr published May 2, 2014 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
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. Photos of the building ca. 1890 and antique bottles posted September 6, 2018 and October 26, 2018 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. Frankenstein Drug Store, 1890 by
Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and author, publshed September 23, 2014 in Fort Wayne Reader. Frankenstein Medicine bottles can be found for sale online.
Photo of the 200 block of Columbia Street downtown at Main and Clinton Street prior to when it was razed in 1970 to build the park is shown on the right when posted May 28, 2019 by The Landing Fort Wayne on Facebook. See old and new photos and discussion August 31, 2017 on
You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived and Closed group with over 20,000 members on Facebook. See Freimann Square Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Frigidaire
The refrigerator "Frigidaire was founded as the Guardian Frigerator Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana and developed the first self-contained refrigerator (invented by Nathaniel B. Wales and Alfred Mellowes) in 1916." copied from Frigidaire on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and Our History Frigidaire on Frigidaire-la.com. "Two of the first home refrigerators both appeared in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where, in 1911, General Electric company unveiled a unit invented by a French monk. In 1915 the first "Guardian" refrigerator - a predecessor of the Frigidaire - was assembled in a wash house in a Fort Wayne backyard" copied from The Story of the Refrigerator formerly on the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers www.aham.org website. A father of the refrigerator in City was home for many inventions by Michael Hawfield from the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper published December 13, 1993. There is also a YouTubeRefrigerator Marketing: "The Proof Parade" 1937 Frigidaire published March 27, 2013.
Fairfield Manor Image 1927.
