This is the Holter's Roost building on the left! The brick house on the right side of the Packard is still standing and visible in a Street View photo!
6623 Lincoln Highway East - Indiana State Road 930, Street View photo from Google maps is actually the backside of the building.
Listed as item: 14.9 The Castle Automart is on your right but partly obscured today and is a landmark building constructed in 1913, the same year that the original Lincoln Highway opened. It was initially known as Holter’s Roost, named after William Holterman, who owned a chicken and chicken feed empire on the Lincoln Highway here. The area was known as Holterman’s Crossing and trolley service ran just north of here on Maumee Ave. on page 5 in the 18-page document: INDIANA’S LINCOLN HIGHWAY BYWAY A Turn-by-Turn Road Guide For the 1913 Route West From Ohio to Illinois at LincolnHighway.org archived on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Listed as item: 18.6 The Castle Automart on your left is a landmark building erected in 1913, the same year as the beginning of the official Lincoln Highway. It was originally known as Holter’s Roost, named after William Holterman, who owned a chicken and chicken feed empire on the Lincoln Highway here. The area was commonly called Holterman’s Crossing and the trolley service stopped just north of here along Maumee Ave. Note: On the north side of this building is the third short remnant of Maumee Ave which dead ends after going back to the left (west) for about 2 blocks. Turn around and rejoin IN 930 eastbound. on page 14 of the document: INDIANA’S LINCOLN HIGHWAY BYWAY A Turn-by-Turn Road Guide For the 1928 Route East From Illinois to Ohio at LincolnHighway.org archived on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
One hundred and five years ago, [October 31, 1913] New Haven, Fort Wayne, and Churubusco, Indiana celebrated Halloween like never before and probably ever since. The dedication of the Lincoln Highway in this area included bands, motorcycles, and two motorcar parades from New Haven and Churubusco that met in Fort Wayne.
The marketing of the Lincoln Highway was contagious. Ladies, you are going to need a hat!
The building [castle-like Holderman Home] in the one photo, with ghosts and goblins present, still stands at an intersection of the original route of the Lincoln Highway (Old Maumee Rd.) and State Road 930. Today, it is a used car lot today but at the time of the dedication, it was known as Holter's Roost because of the "aristocrat" chickens raised there.
The view with the SUV in the forefront is the same view as the newspaper image. The porch overhand was added later. Recent road construction has created a dead end on Old Maumee requiring travelers to remain on SR 930 before getting back on the old LH.
The dedication image is from the Fort Wayne Sentinel, November 1, 1913. The ad is from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Oct. 31, 1913.
Today’s Throwback Thursday building is for the birds; in this case it is chickens. The house on Old Maumee Road toward New Haven, has been referred to as the castle house. Holter’s Roost, named after William Holterman, was home to a chicken and chicken feed empire. At one time Holterman owned 50 acres on the historic Lincoln Highway. His farm had several buildings and enough acreage for his children to build on the land. A bridge that matched the stone from the house was located on the west side of the property. Stones for the house and bridge were gathered from the Maumee River. If you look on the north side of the house you will see “Holter’s Roost,” embedded in stone. Local architect, Henry Meyer, designed the c. 1915 house. It is a one-of-a-kind structure and is a testament to how one man can turn his hobby into a successful business.
This "home" is located on the east side of Fort Wayne, and Old Maumee Road (Lincoln Highway) ran very near it, right up til the time they needed a railroad overpass. It just so happened that Lincoln Highway was in the way, so it was dead-ended and rerouted. I don't know much about the history of this amazing home, but it's now the office for a used car lot.
Holter's Roost is shown for only a couple seconds around the 0:11 minute in the two-minute video Honest Eats by mtpubMay 6, 2016 on YouTube. Keith Elchert and Laura Weston-Elchert and M.T. Publishing Company, Inc. have joined forces to bring you Honest Eats – Celebrating the Rich Food History of Indiana’s Historic Lincoln Highway. The book spotlights businesses and their owners; their love of history and the highway helps fuel their passion for both food and nostalgia. Packed with more than 200 contemporary and vintage photographs, Honest Eats also highlights featured locations and places from out of the past. This hardbound 9" x 12" publication contains 144 full-color pages with a color dust jacket. Honest Eats – Celebrating the Rich Food History of Indiana’s Historic Lincoln Highway is available for only $39.95. This limited edition book is a must have for your collection, as well as a wonderful gift for family members, historical societies, and libraries. Order your copies now! www.mtpublishing.com. The page in the book shown in the Facebook comment mentions the architect was Henry Meyer who designed churches, hospitals, schools and commerical buildings around Fort Wayne.
