4.5 acres since 1937. In June of 1933 the Park Board purchased from George B. Buist, with the Packard Piano Company the land which is now known as Packard Park. The land was purchased for $12,000. Copied from Packard Park at City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation. The Humpty Dumpty drive-in restaurant closed since the 1980s at Fairfield and Packard Avenues is visible in the background.
Packard Piano and Organ Company
Was established in 1871 when the founder Isaac Packard an organ builder in Chicago left after the Chicago fire October 10, 1871 destroyed his buisness. According to local legend, Packard then boarded a train and told the conductor to let him out when the money ran out. His fare ran out in Fort Wayne. His new company Fort Wayne Organ Company produced Packard Orchestrals. He died in 1873, but his company continued until people could no longer afford pianos during the Great Depression when the company went out of business. A few years after the company closed, the City of Fort Wayne bought the property, tore down the buildings, and made it into a city park- Packard Park. Copied from Packard Pianos by Carmen Doyle published March 5, 2013 in the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
It's #waybackwednesday! Take a look at these photos of the Packard Piano Company, showing the exterior of the factory...
It's #waybackwednesday! Take a look at these photos of the Packard Piano Company, showing the exterior of the factory and employees working inside the factory.
It's #waybackwednesday! Take a look at these photos of the Packard Piano Company, showing the exterior of the factory and employees working inside the factory.
The company was located on the Northeast corner of Fairfield and Organ Ave (later Kinsmoor Ave.), the site of present day Packard Park.
Steven Tyler’s Pump Organ the signed organ with a plate on the front of organ that reads "Fort Wayne Organ Co." later became the Packard Piano & Organ Company from the Pawn Stars History Channel television show. See Aerosmith - Dream On video posted December 5, 2012 on the official Aerosmith YouTubeChannel. See also STEVEN TYLER ORGAN USED TO WRITE "DREAM ON" Sold for: $28,800 at ArchiveAuctions.com. Lot 647 of 724: STEVEN TYLER ORGAN USED TO WRITE "DREAM ON" at Julienslive.com has a broken link to Season 11 American Idol where Tyler discusses writing the song and appears with the organ in a behind-the-scenes American Idol clip.
I WROTE THE MUSIC WHEN I WAS 17 ON A PUMP ORGAN IN SUNAPPEE, NH...WROTE THE LYRICS IN 2 DAYS AT A HOTEL AT BOSTON LOGAN AIRPORT...SANG IT LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE SHABOO INN, CT...AND GOT TO SING IT AGAIN TONIGHT...45 YEARS TO THE DAY OF ITS RELEASE... IN MOTOR CITY USA... pic.twitter.com/K7nrFdNiab
When Isaac T. Packard’s organ factory in Chicago was destroyed in the horrific fire that leveled over three square miles of that city, he relocated the factory to Fort Wayne in October 1871. With the assistance of a group of prominent local investors that included Charles McCulloch, Steven Bond, John Bass and Judge Lindley Ninde, the Fort Wayne Organ Company was incorporated the next month, and in December the was ground broken for the four-story brick plant on Fairfield Avenue. Four months later, in April 1872, the factory was built and the first of what would come to be thousands elaborate ornate reed organs were completed. Sadly, just two years later in September of 1873, Isaac died, yet, in the hands of Steven Bond, and later his son Albert, the company would continue to flourish, later changing the name to the Packard Organ Company in 1889.
After introducing their first piano in 1893, the company’s line of pianos grew to include a number of upright, player, grand and baby grand models. They produced their last organ in 1914; in order to reflect their reconfigured product line, in 1915 they renamed the growing concern The Packard Piano Company. With over 300 workers, the company could produce between 3,000-4,000 pianos per year, and offered models in Cherry, Maple, Mahogany, and Black Walnut. As the company grew, so too did the development of the South Wayne area, and as part of their expansion Packard had offices in Kansas City, MO; London, England; Hamburg, Germany and Melbourne, Australia. Beginning in 1911, they also began producing pianos under the “Bond” brand as a less expensive alternative to the more elaborate “Packard” models.
Packard later expanded into building wood cabinets for the nascent radio and television manufacturing market. The depression hit in 1930, and, like many other piano manufacturers (as well as the companies Packard made the radio cabinets for), Packard went into receivership, thus ending 59 years in business. The Packard name was revived for a time when piano makers Story & Clark purchased rights to the trademark in 1938; while no longer made in Fort Wayne, they manufactured models using the Packard label into the 1950’s.
In June 1933 the Park Board purchased the former Packard factory grounds, and after removing the buildings and adding improvements, opened it as Packard Park in 1937. Today, the 4.5 acre Packard Park features a modern pavilion, tennis courts, playground equipment, and a baseball diamond.
(Image courtesy Todd Baron Collection)
Randy Harter is a Fort Wayne historian, author, and tour guide for Fort Wayne Food Tours.
The marker is located in the northwest corner of Packard Park, which opened in 1937 where the piano company once stood. In the years after World War II, the park hosted games by the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Copied from COMMEMORATING THE PACKARD PIANO & ORGAN COMPANY July 5, 2019 by The Waynedale News Staff at The Waynedale News.com.
The Packard Piano & Organ Company was originally established in 1871 as Packard Organ Company by Isaac Packard in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1879, Albert S. Bond joined the firm. Packard only built organs until 1893, incorporating pianos into their line in about 1894 and changing the name of the company to Packard Piano & Organ Company. They started out offering upright and baby grand pianos, adding player pianos in the first decade of the twentieth century. Packard was known for building very high quality pianos, and they were known for their frequent use of lavish woods and elegant cabinet design styles. In addition to the Packard brand name, the firm built pianos under the names of Bond Piano Company and Elsinger Piano Company. Packard managed to survive the Great Depression, but they were purchased by the larger Story & Clark Piano Company in 1938. Story & Clark continued to build pianos under the Packard name until the middle of the 20th Century
Music is a major form of entertainment in the United States. One way music is enjoyed is through the piano and Fort Wayne has a connection to the popularity of this magnificent instrument through the Packard Piano Company. After the Great Chicago Fire, Isaac T. Packard relocated to Fort Wayne and established the Fort Wayne Organ Company in 1871, which would become the Packard Piano Company about 1907. Produced at its plant at Packard and Fairfield Avenues, the company’s use of fine woods and elegant cabinet design styles earned them a reputation for producing high quality musical instruments. In addition to the Packard brand name, the firm built pianos under the names of Bond Piano Company and Elsinger Piano Company. One model made was the Bond Player Piano Style 3 (on display at the History Center), last patented on 20 November 1917; the ivory keys can be played by a pianist or operated by foot pedals to pump air through a rotating paper roll which actuated the keys to play a chosen medley. Bond Pianos were a more economical line of pianos produced by Packard for consumers looking for high quality at a lower price. The Packard name managed to survive the Great Depression, but the local factory closed in 1930, ending a 59 year tradition. The property was sold to the city of Fort Wayne in 1937 and was developed as Packard Park. Today we celebrate National Piano Month by sharing some Packard Piano items from our collection. #sociallyhistory
The image above was posted June 19, 2022 by
Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and authoron True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. Randy was discussing the Palace Theater/Civic Theater E. Washington in relation to the corner with Clinton Street. He found this photo showing the Palace Theater (bottom 4th label from left) that Richard Stamats took from the top of the Lincoln Tower in 1964 that shows that block and Randy fiddled around labeling it.
The Richard Stamats video below shows the Palace Theater/Civic Theater E. Washington photo above morphing from his 1964 photo into a 2017 Daniel Baker photo back and forth from 15-seconds to around 50-seconds. Richard Stamats flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/stamats and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richard.stamats
Fort Wayne, Indiana 1964 and 2017 uploaded Jan 14, 2019 by Richard Stamatson YouTube Fort Wayne morph of two scenes both are from 1964 and 2017. These photos will be part of a book on Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fort Wayne is where I was born and my home until 1967, I took the 1964 photographs at age 16. It is particularly lucky that I shot them in a way to make a panorama 50 years later. A book is available that includes these photos and many more. Available at Amazon Fort Wayne Through Time (America Through Time). On June 23, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook Richard Stamats posted the same video stating: In 2017, I put together this video with Daniel Baker's current photograph and my 1964 photographs into a morphing of the different dates. I added a WOWO story done by CBS as the audio. I hope you enjoy effect.
John McGauley photograph Parkview Field and The Harrison posted May 19, 2014 on flickr A close-up aerial look at Parkview Field and the attached Harrison apartment complex in downtown Fort Wayne.
"Regardless of how well the team plays and even beyond the entertainment between innings, the legacy and momentum created by Parkview Field can be felt throughout Downtown."
Spring has arrived in Fort Wayne. Flowers are blooming; wildlife is reappearing; and parks and trails are slowly filling with people eager to shake off the winter blues.
In Downtown Fort Wayne, a new season is about to begin, too: Baseball season.
The city has a rich history with baseball, home to the first professional game in 1871, and to fabled teams, like the Fort Wayne Daisies, who helped inspire the film “A League of Their Own.” In many ways, the TinCaps at Parkview Field carries on this legacy today, infusing Downtown with energy and spirit that’s undeniably unique.
“It’s more than baseball,” says Kirsten Guthrie, Vice President of Marketing and Communication at Visit Fort Wayne. “It’s the experience that people have at Parkview Field that’s so exceptional.”
Regardless of how well the team plays and even beyond the entertainment between innings, the legacy and momentum created by Parkview Field can be felt throughout Downtown, where businesses, entertainment options, restaurants and retail are blooming because of its existence.
As the Fort Wayne TinCaps return to the field on April 11 for the first of 66 home games slated for the 2023 season, we explore the rich history of baseball in Fort Wayne, the magic that makes Parkview Field so special, and how America’s favorite pastime has shaped our city over the years.
1732 West Main Street Fort Wayne, IN 46808, phone: (260) 424-2300. Two-story restaurant housed in an old factory building. Read more on the VisitFortWayne.com blog - Taking a Tour of Fort Wayne’s Historical Restaurants! posted on January 10, 2013 by Heather.
Could you imagine living and working in this building one day?
After several large, successful concrete pours, the team at The Pearl continues to take the project upwards!
We're starting to see framing for rooms on the first floor go up while work on the parking garage carries on.
There will be great opportunities for businesses, retailers, restaurants, and live music once this build is complete. As with so many of the projects happening in downtown Fort Wayne, we're proud to invest in the growth and innovation taking place in the heart of this city!
This week, our crew celebrated hitting a new milestone at @thepearlfw!
Having completed the frame of the building, we all got to watch as the final support beam was installed, bringing a successful close to this chapter of the construction phase.
The Pearl will feature residential apartments, live/work storefronts, a coffee shop, an on-site fitness center, and much more.
"It's going to be a further expansion of the downtown and particularly of The Landing." - Chuck Surack, Founder and CEO, Surack Enterprises
With building scheduled to be completed in a year, we can't wait to see what this new addition brings to the downtown skyline!
https://pearlarts.org/. A Foundation for Opportunity. Located in the eastern third of the old Perfection Bakery site at Pearl Street and Maiden Lane in downtown Fort Wayne is Pearl Street Arts Center, Northeast Indiana’s new community arts and education destination, scheduled to open in the summer of 2024. Pearl Arts is the vision of local businessman and philanthropist Chuck Surack and a small group of committed volunteers who are creating a one-of-a-kind interactive community arts hub, and a new center for musical life in Fort Wayne and Northeast Indiana.
Check out the progress at the new fine arts building for Pearl Arts, Inc. This project is an extensive renovation of the original Perfection Bakery building in downtown Fort Wayne, IN. #BuildingABetterFuture#ConstructionSolutionsProvider
Penguin Point
The last Fort Wayne location was at 7303 Winchester Rd, Street View photo from Google maps
THERE ARE JUST SOME PLACES YOU CAN’T HELP REMEMBERING. This is the very first Penguin Point in the franchise. It started right here in Wabash in 1950 when the Stouder brothers (Wallace and Lloyd) opened their first store at the junction of State Roads 13 and 15 today. Although it has changed there is still one at this location.
They are known throughout northern Indiana for their Tenderloin sandwich, Big Wally, chicken and the best fries in the area made from Idaho potatoes. Anna Easterday says ‘Lord when I come to Indiana this is the first restaurant that we eat at. Love the Big Wally and Fries. Wish I had one right now.”
Carolyn Streby adds this to the story of Penguin Point “Dad (Lloyd Stouder) used their refrigerator payment to have petty cash to open. Mom (Leta Stouder) and Aunt Mary Stouder car hopped. Dad ran the fountain. Uncle Wally the grill. As far as the location at 13&15 it was a corn field. Dad bugged the farmer to the point that he finally caved and sold part of the field at 13&15. Only one problem. The bank wouldn't loan the money without a cosigner. So Grandpa and Grandma Wilber Stouder cosigned. And thus began the adventure of Penguin Point. In 1950 the double decker burger wasn't called "Big Wally" it much much later. It was a called ‘Fad Burger.’
“My father, on his own decided to go to Warsaw and start his own Penguin. Uncle Wally bought out my dad's share. So each owned their own Penguin. Wally Wabash Lloyd Warsaw exclusively. It was 1955, I was a teenager. I started working for mom and dad at 14 washing dishes. At 15, I started car hoping at .35 an hour +tips. Later .50. PP was the. BOMB to go to. My teen years was so much Fun.
“All teens hung out there, driving those beautiful 57 Chevy cars and other customized cars which we named. My car was named "Kitty. Another "Chicken Ship" another "Night Rider" etc. We wrote the name on the back fender. If you wanted to locate a certain teen, head to P.P. 10 to 1 they were there circling the building.”
Judy Garst Schramm says " This is how it looked when I worked there in the summer of 1959. Loved their Big Wallys and breaded tenderloins - oh yes, and fresh strawberry pie!" Beth Rigney has "Memories of this place: Scoop the loop was the weekend and Wed. nights during the summer. This was a way to meet others from other schools for dates. I met my husband there as well." May Lou McCallum adds "Love love this place! Have to stop whenever in Wabash! Remember sitting in our cars watching people and talking to everyone, while having a cherry coke."
Bob Marks recalls "That very first summer, 1950, I was 10 and lived on the South Side. Duke Gidley and I would ride our bikes out there on a then gravel Hale Lane and pick up the trash and junk on the lot! We each got a quarter for this job. Pretty good money for an hours+ work in those days!"
Aaron Proffitt adds "I worked there in 1960. I remember breading tenderloin by the big box full. Also hand squeezed boxes of lemons and made lemonade five gallons at a time in a 5 gallon cream can. My starting wage was $.40 an hour. We called the big burger a Wally 5 x 5."
The November 7, 1927 The Journal Gazette newspaper showed a drawing of a new store opening at 1208-1210 South Calhoun Street posted December 12, 2018 in You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. The founder J. C. Penney came to Fort Wayne in 1932 to speak at a meeting with representatives from 19 stores in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. He had 1,477 stores nationwide with annual sales of $175,000,000. He opened his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming on an initial investment of $500.
The Peoples Trust Clock chiming the noon-hour at AroundFortWayne March 23, 2009 on YouTube. The Peoples Trust & Savings Company Clock in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana chiming the noon-time hour. This clock has been installed at the Baker Street Train Station in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. As well as the chiming, the clip shows some of the view from the site. For more information about this clock, visit this blog post: Downtown clock dedication January 30, 2009 at the
Around Fort Wayne blog.
The geodesic dome photo and discussion July 20, 2017by Fort Wayne Food Tours on Facebook. Photos of remaining buildings were posted May 2, 2019 by the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology on Facebook with a comment by historian Craig Leonard stating: The form was used to promote a new product, "pyramid accounts," by the People's Trust and Savings Bank. The engineer was Lev Zettlin, who gave a lecture at Ball State. He also worked on the Sears Tower in Chicago.
A January 8, 2023 post with the geodesic dome photo generatined over 100 comments on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook stated: Anyone recall the specific location of The Peoples Trust & Savings/Summit Bank. I think it was on Coliseum… Edit: I’m just asking about this one specifically. I know there are a number of Pyramid banks around the FW area (North Anthony, Tillman, West State) which have mostly been identified. I’m just trying to get more info about this lost gem that’s been replaced with a *checks notes* Panera Bread. A comment by Joan Hostetler shows a 1972 view called the California Road Branch from the Jack Smith Collection.
A natural gas explosion at Phelps Dodge on New Haven Avenue happened August 23, 1966 killing 2 and injured 22. A different explosion also occurred in February 1966 on Broadway.
4 DIE IN EXPLOSION. STILL SEARCH FOR BODIES AT FORT WAYNE. Fort Wayne, IN Office Building Explosion, Aug 1966 posted June 17th, 2009 by Stu Beitler from the Kokomo Tribune Indiana newspaper 1966-08-24 on GenDisasters.com.
Former police reporter remembers blast that killed two in 1966 by Sheryl Kreig was published October 7, 2017 in
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Philmore on Broadway
2441 Broadway, now closed, formerly philmoreonbroadway.com, and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilmoreonBroadway/. The Broadway Theater opened November 5th, 1923, as one of five ‘neighborhood’ theaters in Fort Wayne, and the only one located on Broadway; a major commercial strip at the time. The theater changed names over the years, but ran successfully for almost 60 years. It was renamed Indiana Theater in 1934 which closed November 9, 1969. December 19, 1969 opened as Theatre A, then in the 1970s operated as Cinema Blue, an X-rated theater, agreeing to close in 1985. The building became home to a restaurant in 1998, called the Catablu Gourmet American Grill closing May 29, 2009. It then became a jazz club known as The Philmore on Broadway. Cinema Treasures has several comments - one cites newspaper articles New Broadway Theater in the November 3, 1923
The News-Sentinel newspaperand Indiana Theater Closes Nov. 9 by Cindy Pond in the October 27, 1969 The Journal Gazette newspaper. Discussed May 31, 2016 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group.
Piggly Wiggly®, America’s first true self-service grocery store, was founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916 by Clarence Saunders. In grocery stores of that time, shoppers presented their orders to clerks who then gathered the goods from the store shelves. Saunders, a dynamic and innovative man, noticed that this method resulted in wasted time and expense, so he came up with an unheard-of solution that would revolutionize the entire grocery industry: he developed a way for shoppers to serve themselves.
Despite predictions that his novel idea would fail, Saunders’ first store opened on September 6, 1916 at 79 Jefferson Street in Memphis. Operating under the unusual name ‘Piggly Wiggly®’, it was unlike any other contemporary grocery store. There were shopping baskets, open shelves, and no clerks to shop for the customer – all of which were previously unheard of!
1925 - lists eight stores: 126 West Main Street, 1002 Broadway, 2039 Fairfield Avenue, 341 E. Lewis Street, 1902 and 2602 South Calhoun Street, 1406 Columbia Avenue and 1225 State Boulevard.
1920′s Interior of a Piggly-Wiggly food store. They were out in front of the modern notion of the shopper picking their own groceries. Earlier, the shopper simply gave their list to the storekeeper who would themselves pull items from the shelves and bag them up.
The Miller’s Drug Store Building c. 1910/1968, 2135 Wells Street, is a good example of a nearly unaltered 20th Century Commercial style building. Now home to Moring Floral, it’s not necessarily architecturally notable but is important because it is relatively unaltered and an asset to the community. Few of these neighborhood retail stores are still standing as modern commercial districts and neighborhoods have surrounded them. The building has rectangular massing, variegated yellow brick walls, original wood display windows and 3/4 glazed door. The building has an interesting retail background. In 1927 the building was a Piggly Wiggly Store, but by 1930 the Miller Family had turned it into a drugstore. It remained a drugstore until 2015 and is currently the Moring Florist Shop. 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.
Image from a May 7, 2019 post by The Landing Fort Wayne on Facebook stated: Pinex cough syrup. Originally made at 123 Columbia Street, street is now called The Landing. William H. Noll started the Pinex Company in 1905. This company manufactured a cough remedy called “Pinex” which, by 1910, could be purchased in nearly any drugstore in the United States. In 1960 Revlon, Inc. while expanding its operations in the proprietary drug field, purchased the Pinex Company. Copied from Pinex Company, Ft. Wayne, IN posted September 5, 2013 by Jessica on Old Main Artifacts has many photos and images of advertising, including a song on a Pinex calendar, Pinex laxative and several dozen comments from relatives and others.
WARNING: In addition to alcohol and oil of pine tar, one of the main ingredients in Pinex was chloroform. This substance has since been banned by the FDA for human consumption, as while unknown at the time it is now considered a probable carcinogen. From an article on our Noll Mansion Places page.
The History page of Headwaters Counseling at 2712 South Calhoun on April 3, 2018 states: The roots of Headwaters Counseling go back to 1873. First known as The Home for Friendless Women and Homeless Girls, or Home for the Friendless, we evolved into the Pixley Child Welfare Agency. In 1895, the Fort Wayne Associated Charities was formed and later assumed the title of Family Service Bureau. The Bureau was incorporated on January 29, 1924, under the provision of an act of the Indiana General Assembly. Homemaker Service was added to the Bureau’s function in 1938 and terminated in June 1969. In 1946, the Family Service Bureau merged with the Pixley Child Welfare Agency.
Pizza- First Sold in Fort Wayne
In the 1940's at Tonys at Broadway and Taylor in what was later the gay nineties bar. Later moved out to Bluffton Road across from the drive-in, was called Pizza King but later Tony's Pizza. Discussed June 21, 2018 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
In honor of Police Week and the Law Enforcement Officers of Fort Wayne and Allen County, we are proud to give you a preview of the new Police Memorial Rose Garden.
Located at the intersection of Baker Street and Fairfield Ave., we originally built it in 2000 as a "Thank You" to the Uniformed & Narcotics Officers and the many others who helped us reclaim our neighborhood.
For the past15 years it has also honored all Fallen Officers within Allen County by displaying their picture during the anniversary of their death.
With the reconstruction of Fairfield, Baker and Ewing, we have decided to give the garden an updated look, as well. As of 5 PM tonight, we have 19 new rose bushes of red, pink and yellow with many more to come. Some have been around for years, along Baker Street and will be transplanted there too.
The theme may be new but the
"THANK YOU TO ALL OUR OFFICERS THROUGHOUT ALLEN COUNTY WILL ALWAYS BE THERE".
In 2000, Linda and I built this Memorial at the corner of Baker and Fairfield Ave. which we dedicated to the Police Officers who helped us save our neighborhood. Originally it was for Southwest Quadrant and Narcotics Officers but soon included all FWPD , Allen County and State Police Officers too. Over time, they all became involved in fighting the drug houses and removing prostitution from the area. ️
Redevelopment owned the property and allowed us to use it until they had a need for it. 19 years went by without a use for the land and it was sold to the current owner. He is very supportive of police and has allowed us to stay in the same location for the past 3 years. He and his brother (Steven, deceased) owned Affordable Granite on the same property and offered to help us build the new Law Enforcement/Firefighters Memorial (L.E.F.F.M.) on Wells St. They sold us the granite at cost, cut it, polished, engraved every panel and delivered it at no charge, simply because it was for our Police Officers and Firefighters and “It Was The Right Thing To Do”.
I write about this because the property is up for sale and the owner may need to remove or adjust its size to make the property more attractive for a buyer or if it does sell, the new owner may have a use for that corner of this valuable property. They may allow a substantially smaller Plaque to remain but not the large piece of property it occupies currently..
We can be sad that it may go but conversely, we must be thrilled that we were able to keep it here for 22 years, without owning it or paying rent.
We thank Redevelopment and the current owner for allowing us to use this property for all these years.
October 13, 2022 photo posted by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage) stating: Dr. Carl & Henrietta Proegler House on Fairfield Avenue. This c.1870 Italianate house was the home of a well-known veteran surgeon. Born in Cologne, Germany, Dr. Proegler came to New York City in 1860. When the Civil War broke out, he offered his services. After the war, he went back to his New York practice until the Franco-German War started. He returned to Germany and was a surgeon. After the war he received the Iron Cross from German Emperor, William I. Dr. Proegler moved to Fort Wayne in 1874. He and his wife, Henrietta had eight children. This house is no longer standing. Cityscape Flats occupies the site.Dr. Carl & Henrietta Proegler House on Fairfield Avenue. This c.1870 Italianate house was the home of a well-known veteran surgeon. Born in Cologne, Germany, Dr. Proegler came to New York City in 1860. When the Civil War broke out, he offered his services. After the war, he went back to his New York practice until the Franco-German War started. He returned to Germany and was a surgeon. After the war he received the Iron Cross from German Emperor, William I. Dr. Proegler moved to Fort Wayne in 1874. He and his wife, Henrietta had eight children. This house is no longer standing. Cityscape Flats occupies the site.
As Mayor, I’m honored to officially open Promenade Park as part of Riverfront Fort Wayne. Thank you to city officials, contractors, local organizations, donors, and most importantly, our residents, for making this dream become a reality.
Thank you to the thousands of people that showed up for opening night of Promenade Park! Our hearts are so full. Join us on Saturday and Sunday for more activities and celebration! What was your favorite part?
Hello New Park! No better view than seeing the city of Fort Wayne walk through Promenade Park for the first time. Phase 1 of the Riverfront Development Project took years of planning, dreaming, sketching and countless hours of time designing and today it all became a reality. We are so proud to have worked with the Riverworks Design Group and on the Tree Canopy Trail especially. Cheers to all who have been a part of this crazy, beautiful process. We did it! Come enjoy Promenade Park during it’s grand opening going on now through this Sunday. #FortWayneFuture#Powerfulideas#cityoffortwayne#promenadepark#hellonewpark @ Fort Wayne, Indiana
Here is a photograph of the Downtown Skyline, from inside the historical & FABULOUS Wells Street Bridge, Promenade Park, Downtown Fort Wayne... I took this on August 7, 2022 at approximately 11:45p.m.
Looking SE, towards the City, down Wells Street, to where it ends at Superior Street....
It was a beautiful, crystal clear night, & the bridge was lit up with red & blue lights!! The outside of the Bridge looked of blue, red, & purple... the inside mainly was purple in hue....
This ONE OF A KIND Bridge was built in 1884, & closed in 1982, & placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September15, 1988.... It's been refurbished, & used as a pedestrian Bridge for years... The Wells Street Bridge is now located in, & a part of Promenade Park, in Downtown Fort Wayne....
This beauty shot of the Willis Family Bridge was taken by #IPFW student Olivia Ulch at INprint Urban Photography, a local startup that shares its love of the city one photo at a time.
[246 foot long structure spans across Crescent Avenue completed in 2003]
Did you know that the Fort Wayne Trails Rivergreenway runs through campus? In addition to our Native Trees River Walk, you can cross the Ron Venderly Family Bridge and head north to Shoaff Park—or follow the trail south to Downtown Fort Wayne!
Project Factoids Mastodons roamed northeastern Indiana 10,000 to 13,000 years ago. IPFW geology students helped excavate a mastodon skeleton near Angola, Indiana, in 1968. A 3-ton bronze mastodon on IPFW campus was dedicated September 14, 2004. Mastodons on Parade commemorates the 40th anniversary of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Finally, #TBT to 2005 when Linda Booher, Rose Lantz, Carol Linton, Aaron Nagy, and descendants of Chief Richardville created Mini Don for Mastodons on Parade!
For "Throwback Thursday" we share a Mastodon from Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne's (IPFW) celebration of their 40th Anniversary in 2004. There are still a lot of these Mastodons around town. This is "East Coast Don" at the Penn Station sandwich shop on Coliseum and Clinton. BTW...Mr. Hofer graduated from the Purdue side of IPFW.
For "Throwback Thursday" we share another Mastodon found! This is at Buesching's Peat Moss on the Cook Road. In 2004 IPFW celebrated their 40th Anniversary and local businesses painted these Don's in tribute. BTW...it was at Bueschings they unearthed a Mastodon!
For "Throwback Thursday" we share this picture of "Dental Don" all decked out as Santa Claus! In 2004 to celebrate Indiana - Purdue Fort Wayne's 40th Anniversary, several businesses and others decorated these Mastodons, many of which are scattered about town and we are featuring on "Throwback Thursday"!
For "Throwback Thursday" we share another Mastodon picture. In 2004 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of IPFW, many businesses and organizations painted these Mastodons On Parade and many are scattered about Fort Wayne til this day. Here is Science Central Don!
We're looking back at some of the highlights of 2021 this week. Next up is the pedestrian bridge over S.R. 930 in Fort Wayne. This year the bridge was able to open up for the community to use. The color options seem almost endless that the bridge can be lit up with!
We're looking back at some of the highlights of 2021 this week. Next up is the pedestrian bridge over S.R. 930 in Fort Wayne. This year the bridge was able to open up for the community to use. The color options seem almost endless that the bridge can be lit up with!
We've got quite a bit to be thankful for being discussed in this month's ERC News Brief. The first planting for the ERC landscaping project has made it in the ground, The Nature Network's first speaker on sea turtle research is November 17th, an update on Dr. Paladino's lab, and some thought provoking ideas on the Clean Water Act.
Have you mastered where everything is on campus yet? It would have been a bit more straightforward in 1973 when this aerial view of our campus was taken! For more historical pictures of PFW, check out our University Archives Gallery in mDON: mDON mastodon Digital Object Network#ThrowbackThursday
It’s best to stop by in the pouring rain 😉 to see how the runoff from the building is being channeled into the landscape where it flows through the roots of the native plants and is cleaned on its way to the St. Joseph River which runs nearby.
A mix of straight-species native perennials and shrubs along with some native cultivars will grow into a landscape that illustrates methods to improve the functionality and environmental benefits of any landscape. Note the sedge plugs that will grow together to resemble a ‘lawn’ that looks great but requires less care than a traditional lawn.
Thanks to the many good people associated with PFW and the ERC who helped with the preparation, execution, and funding of this project!
Were Osage Oranges mastodon food?
Osage Oranges, Maclura pomifera, hedge apples, was sometimes used as living fences before barb wire became popular in the 1870s. Is native to the south-central states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. early French explorers referred to the species as bois d’arc or “wood for a bow”. Sometimes mentioned in early history books.
Pictured here is the fruit of Maclura pomifera (a.k.a., Osage Orange), a species in the mulberry family (Moraceae) considered native to the south-central United States (Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas) that has become naturalized in parts of the eastern United States.* The inedible fruit–which only resembles an orange–is “a syncarp of drupes covered with a rind and when opened oozes a latex sap.”* In other words, “Osage oranges are pome fruit or fruit that has a core of seeds inside an edible fleshy casing. Better known examples of pome fruit include apples and pears.”** As Master Gardener Linda Sedar writes in a Penn State Extension article, these fruit in Pennsylvania are often referred to as “monkey balls.”***
As the “fruit is far too large to be consumed by wildlife species roaming our landscape today but not those of the past,” writes Emily Swihart for Illinois Extension, “[i]t seems that Osage oranges are anachronistic fruit, meaning they belong to another time. Scientists hypothesize that the Osage orange belongs to the Age of Great Mammals, also known as the Pleistocene, when herbivores far larger than any that remain today roamed North America. Fossil records tell of megafauna roaming the North American landscape including mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, and glyptodon.”**
To learn more about this fascinating species, check out the articles cited below!
** “Massive fruit, myths, and mastodons: Osage orange,” Emily Swihart (Horticulture Educator), Illinois Extension, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Nov. 11, 2022) (https://extension.illinois.edu/.../2022-11-11-massive...). [article states: The superior wood strength of the species was appreciated by native tribes and used for tools, especially bows for hunting. People would travel hundreds of miles to harvest trees suitable for crafting the weapon to the extent that early French explorers referred to the species as bois d’arc or “wood for a bow”. ... Osage oranges are anachronistic fruit, meaning they belong to another time. Scientists hypothesize that the Osage orange belongs to the Age of Great Mammals, also known as the Pleistocene, when herbivores far larger than any that remain today roamed North America. Fossil records tell of megafauna roaming the North American landscape including mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, and glyptodon. similar to mammals of today, these megafaunas would have dispersed seeds of vegetation they consumed. The Osage orange, perhaps, developed large fruit for these prehistoric megafaunas.]
We hunt the oldest Bois d’Arc trees in the richest hunting grounds of northeast Texas along the RedRiver. Here’s a handful of the oldest lowland Bois d’Arc giants, the oldest 350-400 years old . We have located numerous 300 year old and currently working with land owners to preserve the landmarks trees for future generation. was posted November 23, 2023 by Bois DArc Kingdom on Big Tree Seekers on Facebook with photos.
In 1969, students voted in favor of the mastodon as our school mascot. The partial skeleton that inspired that decision, found by a local farmer, was displayed in Kettler Hall from 1984–2016. Thanks to a coordinated effort by students and faculty, “Donna” is set to return this spring.
“There has always been an awareness within the student body of mastodon bones, but it’s always just been considered folklore among us,” said recently graduated SGA Vice President Lynn Herbst-Acevedo. B.A. ‘23. “We wanted the true mascot and spirit of the mastodon to be on display. It wasn’t just about us and the legacy we left behind, but the true spirit of the mastodon.”
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