A December 13, 2022 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebookstated: On December 13, 1799, the Northwest Territory General Assembly passed the 1799 Road Law, which required signposts at important intersections, outlined road construction specifications, and dictated that all men between the ages of twenty-one and fifty must work two days per year on public roads. Highway supervisors, who were appointed by the courts, notified all qualified men in a township three days before work was to begin. On the specified day, residents were to present themselves or a “substitute to the acceptance of the supervisor” at the given location with all required tools. If a man neglected his duty to appear or provide a substitute, he was fined 75 cents. Read about the law here: Laws of the Territory of the United States, North-west of the River Ohio By Northwest Territory · 1800 on Google books.
2040 Transportation Plan NORTHEASTERN INDIANA REGIONAL COORDINATING COUNCIL, Adopted May 2018, Illustrations of the transportation network within the Metropolitan Planning Area. Areas include portions of Allen, Whitley, and Huntington Counties, the Cities of Fort Wayne and New Haven, and the Towns of Grabill, Huntertown, and Leo-Cedarville. At Purdue Fort Wayne.
Indiana’s first stagecoach route was established along Buffalo Trace (Vincennes Trace) between New Albany and Vincennes in 1820. In the 1830s, the Michigan Road (U.S. 421), Indiana’s north-south connecting route between Madison (Ohio River) and Michigan City (Lake Michigan), and the east-west National Road (U.S. 40), America’s first federally funded road, were constructed. In 1913 the Lincoln Highway (U.S. 30) was dedicated, becoming America’s first transcontinental highway. Indiana’s first interstate, State Road 420 (I-80/I-94) opened in 1952. A few years later the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 created a national interstate highway system, leading to the construction of interstates such as I-74, I-465, I-65, and I-70. By this year, 97% of Hoosier households owned at least one automobile. Copied from a July 27, 2022 post by Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Facebook.
Since early 19th century Indiana state law required males aged 18 to 50 to open and maintain public roads, it follows they would claim the road as theirs by naming it after their family labor which is why many local roads are named after the pioneer families that first settled on land bought from the United States government.
A law of 1816-17 required males age 18-50 to donate up to 6 days labor annually to open and maintain public roads. The federal government built the National Road in Indiana from 1829 to 1834. It is now U.S. 40. The Internal Improvements Act of 1836 was the state's over-ambitious attempt to address transportation needs of Hoosiers, especially for commerce and trade. Eight major projects were specified. The law resulted in financial disaster, and construction was stopped in 1839. Many projects were later completed with public and private funding. Indiana, Crossroads of America, has thirteen interstate highways--more than any other state--with a total of 1,138 miles. Copied from the Transportation page at Introducing Indiana-Past and Presentwebpage, and Introducing Indiana-Past and Present pdf both at IN.gov.
Traveling around Allen County and Northeastern Indiana in the early 19th century was difficult. One of the major reasons was that our portion of the state was at the western edge of the Great Black Swamp, which made roads virtually impassable. One of the solutions was the construction of plank roads. In 1847, the Fort Wayne and Lima Plank Road Company, headed by Samuel Hanna, developed Lima Road into the first plank road in northern Indiana. A plank road is constructed of a series of wooden planks laid next to each other, providing a surface over which wagons could travel in all weather conditions. When it was completed, the Lima Plank Road reached Sturgis, Michigan, a distance of 60 miles. The planks for the road were three inches thick and eight feet long. These pieces of oak are from a plank on the original Lima Plank Road, which went from Fort Wayne to Lima, now Howe, Indiana in LaGrange County. The oak plank was excavated north of LaOtto during road construction. #sociallyhistory
Hoosier motorists had hopes for easier traveling on this day in 1919 [July 27]. The newly organized state highway commission [INDOT] was busy laying out our present system of state highways. At the time, only a few stretches of highways were paved. Most were covered with gravel or crushed stone. The commission also began numbering highway routes. You had to look quickly to see if you were on the right road, though, as the route numbers were simply painted on white bands on telephone poles. Copied from a July 27, 2022 post by the Indiana Historical Society on Facebook. Short History of the Indiana State Highway Commission by J. M. Henry · 1926 on Google eBook.
Street names have been listed in the Fort Wayne City and Allen County Directories since the first issue in 1858. Fort Wayne was officially built in 1794 by General Anthony Wayne at the confluence of three rivers where the Miami Indian village Kekionga already existed. Indian trails often followed animal trails and/or high ground winding and weaving along the path of least resistance around large trees, rocks, and natural obstacles in the native landscape through the primeval forest that was often year-around swamp and wetlands. Indian trails were originally foot trails that naturally enlarged over time as more people used them for horseback then wagon roads as the European settlers arrived. Some trails kept Indian names as they became roads, other roads were named for the early explorers and settlers who opened new trails, settled and/or owned the land, sometimes creating the first roads as needed along and through their land to carry on their livelihood. Roads that traverse mostly straight north-to-south or east-to-west were likely created after townships lines and maps were drawn when Allen County was formed in 1824. Early maps and history books show some early roads were toll roads with tolls collected by or paid to the land owners who created and maintained the roads. The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana has an 86-page book titled Street index of Fort Wayne, Indiana that I have not seen so don't know what is in it.
Early city street names and addresses changed over time as the city and county developed, including number changes in 1902 and can be found in the city directories and newspaper articles. One example is the John Sollberger saloon at 232 W. Main in 1900 and 1901 but at 916 W. Main in 1902. As the early town expanded, streets with one name were often connected with existing county roads that already had names. Some street names changed over time as they were extended and merged with other existing streets, and/or sometimes eliminated when buildings were torn down or expanded, and bridges were built over creeks, rivers and low flood plain land not possible without modern technology in the pioneer days. Different government jurisdictions of city, county, and township can also create naming conflicts. Finding maps for the years street names were used co-ordinated with the same city directory years should help determine the location of older street names. The 1945 book Streets of Fort Wayne shown below should also help. See the September 26, 2017 discussion on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
Street Name Changes
Page 6 of the online book History of the Fort Wayne Fire Department : extracts from Fort Wayne, Indiana, newspapers by Weber, Donald Allen states: Listed below are the names of some of the streets taken from the newspaper articles that have been changed since that time. The new names as we know them today are also listed. Water Street is now — Superior Street. George Street is now — West Brackenridge Street. Hamilton Street is now — Masterson Street. Dawson Street is now — Williams Street. Holman Street is now — East Brackenridge Street. Montgomery Street is now — East Douglas Street. Griffith Street is now — Fairfield Avenue. Duryea Street is now — Poplar Street. Pritchard Street is now — Lavina Street. Erie Street is now — East Berry Street. Thomas Street is now — Bowser Avenue. Walton Avenue is now — Anthony Blvd.
Fort Wayne Daily News of 9 December 1897 article “The Names of Many of Our Thoroughfares to be Changed Next Month.” stated: “Last night the committee on streets and rules and regulations, a special committee appointed to change the names of all streets and avenues where the same name appears twice in the city streets, met and concluded it labors. Several new streets were names and some streets and avenues which were continuous or extensions of other streets, all experience changes of names.” the ists of street names changes are in Fort Wayne Street Name Changes Richard M. Simpson, III, 7 July 2020 on Indiana Transportation History.
Street name changes create confusion for genealogy researchers and modern travelers and can lead to lively discussions on social media such as the December 30, 2018 discussion on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. At first it would seem easy to just change a street or road to one name. It is easy if no one has a business or home address recorded anywhere using the existing names and addresses. As any long-time genealogist soon learns, it is not unusual to have that one ancestor who seems impossible to locate until the researcher discovers that the ancestor lived somewhere for a long time without moving, but the government entity whether township, county, or even state boundary lines moved because of early survey or border line disputes that were settled once and for all in a court settlement during or even after their lifetime. Documentation for that ancestor will then be found in whatever government archive entity that claimed jurisdiction over their land for that specific time period. Modern street name changes create similar complications and potential expenses. Costs start with changing street signs, contacting mapping entities whether print or digital, billing and delivery problems can occur for address changes with the post office, various government agencies, package delivery companies, even long ago contacts that use old addresses until made aware of name changes resulting in undelivered items and unintended consequences. These potential costs and complications often lead to simply leaving the existing street names to avoid complications not worth the expense and grief of making those changes.
If you find sources of reliable documentation of local street names and address changes please Contact Allen INGenWeb.
The Lincoln Highway was dedicated one hundred and five years ago today [October 31, 1913]. Over the next few years, the nation’s first transcontinental highway would stretch from New York to San Francisco, crossing through Indiana and Allen County. Allen County’s section of the highway had its own dedication on June 22, 1915. The Hotel Anthony became a local control station for travelers starting in 1915, charging two dollars a night for a room including a bath. The reinforced concrete Lincoln Highway Bridge (today known as the Harrison Street Bridge), which cost $200,000 to construct, provided safe passage over the St. Mary’s River on the way out of town. In 1928, the Lincoln Highway Association erected concrete posts across the country with the aid of Boy Scouts of America to mark the route. The sections of highway in Allen County were later assigned numbers and became U.S. 30 and U.S. 33.#sociallyhistory
The picture below is from 1904 and highlights the process of laying brick streets at the turn of the century on Harrison Street. Fort Wayne historically had many brick streets and alleys. Perhaps as much as 32 miles worth. Now, unfortunately, the city only has 14 brick streets. Fortunately, the Historic South Wayne Neighborhood Association worked to restore a brick alley between Kinnaird and Wildwood. It is a beautiful example of what restoration could look like. In fact, one of the 14 brick streets left is in the Hoagland Masterson Neighborhood Association on Butler Street. Take a drive, enjoy what once was, and support what it could be.
We LIKE this #tbt to 1947 on the GE campus in #FortWayne. Check out as Broadway still featured brick streets and trolly tracks (once the most popular way to get around town).
What would you like to see happen to the 32 acre campus on Broadway?
Hoch Associates wants to remind you to bring your #powerfulideas to the "Future of General Electric Campus Meeting" tonight at Citzens Square 5:30-7:30PM.
The Porch Off Calhoun is open! Enjoy it! This project is part of the City’s Alley Activation project, which was funded primarily by an $83,000 grant from the Knight Foundation/Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. The project builds on the Art this Way alley mural program by enhancing the alleyways located between Berry Street, Washington Boulevard, Harrison Street, and Calhoun Street. The Porch Off Calhoun Now Open at City of Fort Wayne.
This is the alley between Kinnaird and Wildwood Avenues, bounded by Beaver Ave. and Indiana Ave. It is being reconstructed as one of several projects approved by City Council earlier this year.
I have to give a shoutout to the @cityoffortwayne for redoing our alleyway with the original brick! I’m sure it would have been easier to just take it all out and pour cement, but this just makes my heart happy that they took the time and effort to do it the right way and bring the original beauty back. These bricks were from Metropolitan Block in Canton, OH (where my mom is from) so it means even more to me! I get a little down sometimes knowing that beautiful old things get torn down without a seemingly second thought, so it gives this pessimist a little optimism! Thanks Fort Wayne!
South Wayne recently had another one of our historic brick alleys restored by City of Fort Wayne Government. Good to see infrastructure work being done to benefit our neighbors. What other fixes and improvements would you like to see in our neighborhood? Make it a point to come to our HSWNA Annual Meeting this coming Monday at 7 p.m. at Lifeway Baptist Church to hear about what's going on and how you can get involved in making our neighborhood a great place to live!
Here's an ARCH #TBT for you! Back in 2004, ARCH and the West Central Neighborhood, along with the help of The City of Fort Wayne, partnered to host a brick street restoration workshop which was attended by street department and engineering staff from several cities and towns in our region. From that learning experience, we developed a brochure on restoring historic brick streets. Take a look at Durable Goods: Restoring Historic Brick Streets
Fort Wayne currently has 14 brick streets (41 blocks/3 miles) left. In 1917, there were almost 32 miles of brick streets in town.
A city ordinance passed on Jan. 22, 2013, states: 'the City of Fort Wayne will also preserve and maintain brick alleys identified on an official map, provided by the Community Development Division, which shall not be changed without prior Council approval. Nothing is intended to mandate that the city has any greater obligation to make or pay for the brick alley repairs beyond that which is undertaken for non-brick alleys in the normal course, rather this subchapter is merely evidencing an obligation to maintain the structural and esthetic integrity of the alleys as brick alleys when a decision is made to repair or replace brick alleys in the normal course.”passed on Jan. 22, 2013, states: “the City of Fort Wayne will also preserve and maintain brick alleys identified on an official map, provided by the Community Development Division, which shall not be changed without prior Council approval. Nothing is intended to mandate that the city has any greater obligation to make or pay for the brick alley repairs beyond that which is undertaken for non-brick alleys in the normal course, rather this subchapter is merely evidencing an obligation to maintain the structural and esthetic integrity of the alleys as brick alleys when a decision is made to repair or replace brick alleys in the normal course. Discussed in Reused brick for streets can drive up costs but durable by Dan Vance published January 18, 2019 in Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly.
For a look at different pavement types in various cities see THE STORY BENEATH OUR FEET by Zach Mortice published July 31, 2018 in Landscape Architecture Magazine.
Brick Street Locations
Here is an alphabetical list with Street View photos from Google maps. Many brick streets, including trolley tracks, have been paved over with asphalt, but occasionally re-appear during street maintenance and repairs.
Street Scene Series 9 short videos filmed in the 1970s by a librarian at the Allen County Public Library posted on YouTube and 7 similar but longer videos on Access One of the Access Fort Wayne public television at the Allen County Public Library. The Street Scenes and Fort Wayne Landmarks series' as an attempt to preserve the flavor of some of the older, mainly residential areas of Fort Wayne. Series 2 consists of wide-angle views taken from a car moving slowly through the designated areas. Camera and Editing by Steve Fortriede. 3 videos are found below, the others are elsewhere on our site. We had an interesting discussion with Alan Bengs on these old videos February 26, 2019 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
Fort Wayne Street Series: March 1974 58 minute video by Access Fort Wayne
at the Allen County Public Library published on November 23, 2015 on YouTube A rare and interesting time capsule showcasing what the area used to look like! Raw footage of architecture and businesses on Calhoun and Broadway circa 1974 as seen from the sidewalks. Originally shot and submitted by Steven Fortriede on 3/4 tape.
A December 30, 2018 discussion on the Anthony Blvd name change from the original Walton Avenue for the Walton Coal Company and other Walton businesses varied from curiosity, serious comments and less than useful information on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
For "Throwback Thursday" we share this PLAN for the ANTHONY WAYNE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY prepared for the OPTIMISTS CLUB of FORT WAYNE by A.K. Hofer in 1944. This was obviously never built, but it is fun to imagine "What if?" It's kinda hard to picture in your mind (at least for a surveyor) with North on the Bottom and South on the Top. THE GLORIOUS GATEWAY PARK is where The Three Rivers Apartmets are. At one time (1975) these were displayed at the Hofer and Davis office in 414 Utility Building, now the paper maps are brittle and tattered. Another piece of history from Hofer and Davis, Putting Northeast Indiana "On the Map" since 1915!
For "Throwback Thursday" we share the middle portion of a map for the ANTHONY WAYNE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY prepared for the Optimists Club of Fort Wayne by A.K. Hofer in 1944. Just like the one we shared last week, North is at the bottom of the page and South is at the top. It was proposed to go along Superior Street and you can see where the current Headweaters Park is by Duck Street on the map. At Wells Street it was to split both North and South. The Civic Concert and Recreation Center would have blended in with the Riverfront Development underway now. Hofer and Davis, Putting Northeast Indiana "On the Map" since 1915!
This is the last section of the planned ANTHONY WAYNE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY made in 1944 by A.K. Hofer for the Optimists Club of Fort Wayne. This goes along with the two maps we showed to the East that we shared for "Throwback Thursday" the last two weeks. Remember that North is on the bottom of the sheet, and South is on the top, quite a different orientation for a surveyor! This used to hang high at the entrance to our office at 414 Utility Building in 1975 and was untouched and in pretty good shape. Unfortunately, in our move to the Central Building in 1989, it got stored (not too well) and has seen a better day! Again, this is another example of how Hofer and Davis has been putting Northeast Indiana "On the Map" since 1915! That's 103 years!
Hoosier rocker John Mellencamp wrote the song "PINK HOUSES" released in 1993 that started with the lyrics: "Well, there's a Black man with a black cat living in a Black neighborhood. He's got a interstate running through his front yard. You know, he thinks he's got it so good." This song is mentioned in the transcript of the 7-minute NPR broadcast A Brief History Of How Racism Shaped Interstate Highways on April 7, 2021 that talks with Deborah N. Archer author of the reseach paper ‘White Men’s Roads Through Black Men’s Homes’: Advancing Racial Equity Through Highway Reconstruction 73 Vanderbilt Law Review 1259 (2020) NYU School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 20-49 72 Pages Posted: 10 Mar 2020 Last revised: 6 Nov 2020 Deborah N. Archer New York University School of Law Date Written: February 18, 2020.
'Auto Indiana' exhibit rolls into The History Center mentions motorists from 1905-1912 made their own license plates and shows a 1914 car accident by Kevin Kilbane published September 12, 2013 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
October 2022 the 800 block of Berry Street was renamed “the Terrance Miles Memorial Parkway” to honor the 36-year-old man killed in 2017. The family says what made Terrance a great person was how he mentored and encouraged young people in the community. They say that he was passionate about coaching youth football and mentoring kids at the Boys and Girls Club. Copied from New memorial honors Fort Wayne man shot and killed in 2017 by Alex Null published October 20, 2022 on Fort Wayne's NBC Focused on the Fort originally WKJG. For what would have been Terrance Miles’ 41st birthday Thursday, more than 50 people gathered at the house where he grew up to see how Fort Wayne honored his legacy as a mentor. A sign at the Harmar Street intersection now designates the block of Berry Street going west as Terrance “Money” Miles Memorial Parkway. His father, Lynn Dandridge, unveiled the sign during a short ceremony. “It keeps my son’s legacy going,” Dandridge said afterwards. “He loved the kids, and the kids loved him.” Terrance Miles was a Forest Park Elementary School administrative assistant and assistant North Side High School football coach when he died May 19, 2017, during an alleged armed robbery attempt. He was also a Metro Youth Sports football coach and active with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne. Copied from Newly designated parkway keeps alive the name of a youth mentor James D. Wolf Jr. published Oct 21, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Calhoun Street – The Gathering Place a webpage of photos from the Community Album courtesy of the Allen County Public Library on OpenStreets Fort Wayne. During the BLM, Black Lives Matter era, an interesting newspaper article looked at the history of John Calhoun. John Calhoun boasts an impressive list of political accomplishments. Following nearly 15 years in the U.S. House, he served as President James Monroe's secretary of war from 1817-25. Calhoun was later chosen as America's seventh vice president, serving from 1825-32, first under President John Quincy Adams, then President Andrew Jackson. Following the end of his vice presidency, Calhoun served in the U.S. Senate for a dozen years until he was appointed secretary of state under President John Tyler from 1844-45. Calhoun returned to the Senate for five additional years until he died in 1850. While spending most of his adult life in government, Calhoun developed a strong advocacy for state's rights during our country's westward expansion in the 1800s. Copied from: Calhoun, reconsidered Let's change street name with racist namesake by local high school history teacher Chris Elliott published September 09, 2020 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. Why not simply but sincerely rededicate our Calhoun Street from the slave-owning John C. Calhoun to his family’s freed slave Moses Calhoun?Instead of renaming our streets, let's find other worthy honorees Floyd Guffey March 30, 2023 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Calhoun Street – The Gathering PlaceCalhoun Street has changed over the past 200 years with respect to technology and the people who use it, but in many ways it is the same busy and bustling street. One of the earliest accounts of Calhoun Street is from the 1820s when the now paved roads, were made of dirt. Today Calhoun Street is still a place where residents of all backgrounds gather, eat, shop, and enjoy the spirit of Calhoun Street. Copied from Open Streets Fort Wayne.
Picture from News Sentinel 1926. Caption below reads: PLAN CIRCUMURBAN WAY- Mayor Geake, and City Planning Commission party, are shown watching City Civil Engineer Randall illustrate how Circumurban Way would cross Maumee river at Meyer-Reed road. Left to right: William C. Geake;mayor; Frank M. Randall, city civil engineer; Frank Schramm, member of commission; A.K. Hofer, civil rengineer, whose services are furnished to survey route of proposed traffic way by the Kiwanis club; Robert B. Hanna, consultant of commission; Miss Agata Diek, secretary, and Mrs. O.N. Guldlin, James Haberly, Herman F. Gerdom, and W.C. Dickmeyer, member of commission.-News-Sentinel Staff Photo.
CIRCUMURBAN PROPOSAL from the August 21, 1962 Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. This is a proposal for the triangle bounded by Hobson, Trier and the Circumurban a.ka. The Bypass. Think Don Hall's Triangle Park, formerly Holly's Landing! It obviously was an architects vision! BTW....Hofer and Davis, Inc. did the boundary survey in January of 1962, and many surveys since!
College Street - the Methodist College founded in 1846 stood at the west end of West Wayne Street fronting College Street. See lithograph published December 22, 2014 on Save Our Fort Wayne History.
Dana Columbia—he's where Columbia Street gets its name from. He was a canal boat operator, and his boat was the first to carry passengers along the Wabash and Erie Canal from Fort Wayne to Lafayette.
— feeling cool.
June 1974 Fort Wayne Street Scenes --Columbia Street West posted November 11, 2016 by the Allen County Public LibraryYouTube. June, 1974. Columbia Street north side 100 block west, 4. Columbia Street south side 100 block west. Street Scenes Wide angle views, then detailed studies, building by building, of the older portions of Fort Wayne. Camera and Editing by Steve Fortriede. Photo of historical marker sign posted June 20, 2018 by The Landing Fort Wayne on Facebook.
George Street - on Broadway, named for Mother George, became Brackenridge Street at some point in time. Fort Wayne maps of both 1874 and 1895 show a street named for her that later was changed to West Brackenridge. According to Harold Lopshire at ARCH, a grocery store building was erected in 1864 by Joseph Nohe at the corner of Broadway and George Street. Today, along Broadway there is no longer any evidence of a street celebrating the memory of Mother George except a marker embedded high on the building wall of the once grocery store, now carpet retailer, that reads, “George St.” To honor the memory of Eliza George, however, a marker was placed on the north side of East Berry Street between Barr and Lafayette that is near the site of her first home in Fort Wayne. It was erected in May of 1965 by the Fort Wayne Civil War Roundtable. Copied from a longer Comment to a photo street names on the building posted and discussed September 9, 2018 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
GOSHEN AVENUE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT RECEIVES PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD May 20, 2022 on City of Fort Wayne - Known for decades as “Five Points,” the intersection of Goshen Avenue, Sherman Boulevard, and Lillian Avenue is part of the historic Lincoln Highway. Before improvements, the signal-controlled intersection had no pedestrian access, no lighting, poor drainage, long traffic delays, and a history of accidents. The City of Fort Wayne’s Goshen Avenue Improvements Project received the 2021 APWA-Indiana Chapter Public Works Project of the Year in the Transportation category. The $5.3 million Goshen Avenue Improvements Project features a roundabout that improved traffic flow, incorporated pedestrian traffic, and revitalized the neighborhood, including new lighting, an enclosed drainage system, consolidation or removal of multiple access points, and pedestrian friendly walkways along the roadway. The intersection at the roundabout welcomes approximately 18,500 vehicles per day. With the continuous traffic flow from cars no longer stopping at lights, emissions from idling cars is estimated to be reduced by 20%.
When the idea of a bypass of Fort Wayne was floated, the idea was create a bypass removing US 24 and US 27 from the downtown area. The location of the new bypass would route both of those US routes far outside the bounds of the city. Most of the new bypass would be built outside the distant city limits. The bypass would be constructed starting at Lafayette Center Road southwest of the city at I-69. The first section of the route would be built from that point to connect to US 30 east of New Haven, a distance of 19 miles. The contracts were let for this project starting 12 June 1984. Copied from longer article Fort Wayne Bypass by Richard M. Simpson posted 30 June 2020 on Indiana Transportation History.
Main Street Fort Wayne Street Scenes---Main Street, Southside posted November 11, 2016 by the Allen County Public Library on YouTube. October, 1976, Main Street south side 1900 block - 400 block west. Originated as a complement to our original Street Scenes and Fort Wayne Landmarks series is an attempt to preserve the flavor of some of the older, mainly residential areas of Fort Wayne. Series 2 consists of wide-angle views taken from a car moving slowly through the designated areas. Camera and Editing by Steve Fortriede. Fort Wayne Street Scenes---Main Street, Northside posted November 11, 2016 by the Allen County Public Library on YouTube. October, 1976. Main Street north side 200 block - 1900 block west. Originated as a complement to our original Street Scenes and Fort Wayne Landmarks series' as an attempt to preserve the flavor of some of the older, mainly residential areas of Fort Wayne. Series 2 consists of wide-angle views taken from a car moving slowly through the designated areas. Camera and Editing by Steve Fortriede.
Maplecrest Road, formerly Meyer Road. Maplecrest was originally called Meyer Road for Herb Meyer. Herb Meyer had a connection with St. Peters Lutheran church history from a streets and roads discussion about the Fort Wayne Road Commission new book on local streets April 22, 2020 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. The Maplecrest Road Extension Fort Wayne, Indiana opened October 30, 2012. Mark Souder Indiana House of Representive was a strong advocate for federal funding of this project. American Structure Point, Inc. with photos describes it as: This 1.5-mile roadway extension project included design of a new 4-lane roadway section with curb and gutter through a highly industrialized urban area. The project incorporates grade separations over two railroad facilities, one industrial supplier, two roadways, and the Maumee River. Additionally, the project included design of new storm sewers, sidewalks, traffic signing, and three at-grade intersections, including two traffic signal designs. This project played a major role in improving the transportation mobility for Allen County and the cities of Fort Wayne and New Haven.Maplecrest Road Extension to Open Oct. 30 on www.allencounty.us states: The event’s theme — “ Connecting Communities” — will celebrate the collaborative effort of Allen County, the cities of Fort Wayne and New Haven, and state and federal officials to make the Maplecrest Extension a reality. The project extends Maplecrest from Lake Avenue to Adams Center Road at Indiana 930 in New Haven. It features construction of 1.5 miles of new four-lane roadway with curb and gutter and four new bridges. It also includes design of new storm sewers, a multi-use trail, traffic signing, and three at-grade intersections, including three traffic signal designs. Work began in the spring of 2010. Primco, Inc. of Fort Wayne was awarded the construction contract. To date, approximately $31.4 million has been spent on the project. The engineer’s original estimate was just under $50 million.November 2, 2012 dedication of the Maplecrest Road Extension with four bridges crossing 2 railroad tracks creating a north south corridor on the east side of Fort Wayne connecting Fort Wayne with New Haven and Adams Center Road on the south. Both roads intersect the I-469 bypass that loops around southern and eastern Fort Wayne with I-69 on the west. Maplecrest insects I-469 on the north, Adams Center intersects I-469 on the south. It was the "most complex road project that has been undertaken locally ... cost $31.4 million, well below the engineer’s original estimate of $50 million, [Linda] Bloom said. The new road will provide easier access to the Norfolk Southern railroad office and the Do it Best headquarters and will do away with two railroad crossings." from Maplecrest extension touted as link for two communities by Vivian Sade published November 3, 2012 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. "More than a decade ago, Allen County Commissioner Linda Bloom found undeveloped plans from 1970 for building a north-south corridor on the east side of Allen County." From Maplecrest extension finishes long journey also by Vivian Sade published October 29, 2012 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. See Maplecrest Road Extension by Beth Stauffer on The New Haven Bulletin. The road names remain unchanged after crossing bridge. Access Fort Wayne at the Allen County Public Library had a 30 minute Countyline video about the Maplecrest Extension including speeches at the dedication.
McClellan Street is in southern Fort Wayne between Pettit Avenue and Paulding Road. Photographs by David and Peter Turnley taken in 1972-73 on their website McClellan Street and a book by the same name refer to McClellan Street downtown by Parkview Field that is now parking lots.
In 1827 Barnett and Hanna built a small dam in the St. Marys and downstream erected a mill just south of the over the river (near today's Sears Pavilion). Old Mill Road was later named after this mill, and the bridge that carried the Indianapolis State Road (Broadway, today) across the river to the Little River Turnpike, or Bluffton Road, was the principle southern route out of Fort Wayne. From South Wayne area was once a city unto itself by Michael Hawfield fromCityscapes - People & Places series of articles from the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
The first water-powered mill erected in Allen County was completed in August, 1827, by James Barnett and Samuel Hanna. The mill stood on the left bank of the St. Marys River, a short distance south of the present Oakdale Bridge (State Roads 1 and 3) in what is now Foster Park. It was located in the southeast quarter of Section 15, Wayne Township and at the time of its erection was several miles from the village of Fort Wayne. From page 18 in The water-powered mills of Allen County, Indiana by Bates, Roy M. on Archive.org.
A January 13, 2023 conversation on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook included a comment by Creager Smith a Historic Preservation Planner at City of Fort Wayne Government stating: The mill site was used through much of the 1800s, although at least one mill was destroyed by fire. I believe the last operating mill there was c.1880. The stone "rapids" between roughly Foster Park and Sears Pavillion are what's left of a mill dam. There was a mill race that diverted water to beneath the mill, where the flowing water turned a turbine that powered the mill. The race and the mill were on the Bluffton Road side of the St. Marys.
This evening, Mayor Tom Henry, city officials and neighborhood leaders celebrated the completion of the Pontiac/Wayne Trace Roundabouts Renovation & Beautification project.
Fort Wayne holds ribbon-cutting ceremony for southeast roundabout renovations by Clayton McMahan, posted December 15, 2022 at CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15. The Pontiac Street/Wayne Trace Intersections has aerial photos showing roundabouts on either side of the railroad tracks by American StructurePoint Inc. Completion of roundabout improvements on Fort Wayne’s southeast side was celebrated Thursday with a ribbon-cutting. City officials hailed the Pontiac/Wayne Trace Roundabouts Renovation & Beautification Project as a major improvement to a difficult area along the Coliseum Boulevard/Pontiac Street corridor, making it not only safer but more aesthetically pleasing. The corridor is used by residential and industrial traffic and carries nearly 16,000 vehicles a day, officials said in a news release. The area has had two roundabouts since 2002, but because of the heavy traffic, they had sustained center island ruts, a damaged monument and damaged and ill-maintained landscaping. Improvements include increased land widths making it easier for large vehicles to turn, landscaping of the center islands and artwork in the form of three towers in each island. The center islands were landscaped and brush was cleared along a railroad right-of-way. A railroad bridge now has decorative steel facades to note entry to the three large neighborhoods on either side of the railroads – Greater McMillen Park, Eastside Community and Harvester Community. Bridge abutments and handrails were painted and colorful lighting was added under the railroad bridge and to illuminate the towers. Copied from Roundabouts see improvements on Fort Wayne's southeast side by Rosa Salter Rodriguez posted December 16, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Fort Wayne Trails website: https://fwtrails.org, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortWayneTrails.
A January 17, 2023 post by Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Facebook stating: TRAILS INVENTORY INTERACTIVE MAP: Indiana has over 5,000 miles of trail and more than 95% of Hoosiers are within five miles of one! The Indiana Trails Finder interactive map has every trail the DNR is aware of in the state, including off-roading, paved, natural surface, mountain biking, and more! New trails are constantly being added too. View the Indiana Trails Finder atIndiana Trail Finder.
Local highways U.S. 24, U.S. 27, U.S. 30, and U.S. 33. Even numbered highways generally go east and west, while odd numbers go north and south. From Local U.S. highways lead to surprising places by Kevin Kilbane published July 10, 2013 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Wells Street - once known as the Fort Dearborn (Chicago) Trail, was an important link for trade in the Northwest Territory. It was named for William Wells, the local hero who was raised by the Miamis and married Little Turtle’s daughter, Sweet Breeze. He would later side with the Americans and die in a rescue attempt of Fort Dearborn’s evacuees. In 1913, Wells Street from Superior to State became part of the original 3,400 mile long Lincoln Highway. The route changed when the larger Harrison Street Bridge was completed in 1915, bypassing Wells St. south of Putnam and its smaller iron bridge. Copied from a longer June 22, 2018 post by Dan Baker on his Facebook page and his June 22, 2018 post this Leftover from his book Fort Wayne Through Time with Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and authoron You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
Significance: The Wells Street Bridge (Allen County Bridge No. 542) over the Spy Run Creek is an 88-foot long, single-span, reinforced concrete arch. The bridge appears to use the Melan system of reinforcing, a system largely abandoned by 1914. The Wells Street Bridge (Allen County Bridge No. 542) is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places based on its engineering significance at the local level.
226 West Wayne Street - Changing Face of West Wayne Street photo album by Greg Michell including Save 226 West Waynetorn down in July 2014 to build the Ash Skyline Project complex posted May 4, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. A January 14, 2014 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook stated: And by the way.... This is 226 West Wayne Street, a beautiful brick building which will be coming down for the future Ash development project. A Facebook page has been started to save this building and contains much more history on the building than we can provide. However, in A.K. Hofer's 1940's map of the downtown Business District, he shows it being occupied by American Legion Post No. 47. When I first started working in 1975, it was occupied by Industrial Photocopy, run by owners Chris and Maxine Solomon ( former owners and donors of the Salomon Farm Park on Dupont Road) and their daughter Lynn. Many an hour was spent in the 70's waiting for blueprints to be run, before the days of computers and the printing and copying machines private business operates "in house" today, which eventually closed the business. And by the way when they sold their business in 2005, Hofer and Davis,Inc. LAND SURVEYORS provided the surveying services. Was shared and discussed January 14, 2023 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
Photos of "420 West Wayne Street: Circa 1900 & 2017" with history of the beautiful Indiana limestone mansion designed for Robert C. and Clara Bell by the architectural firm Wing & Mahurin were posted April 12, 2019 by Daniel Baker on Facebook.
Native American trails were the first roads in northeastern Indiana. Many trails crossed northern Indiana before the land was surveyed and sold to settlers in the first half of the 19th century. The Fort Wayne to Goshen Road was one of the first roads in northeast Indiana, which became the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and then US 33 in 1926. The original Lincoln Highway route through eastern Indiana passed through the small communities of Zulu, Townely, Besancon (the 19th century French settlement), the canal town of New Haven, and Fort Wayne. The route then headed northwest to the city of Churubusco. Lincolndale Café was located on the western edge of Fort Wayne along Goshen Road. From this point the original route of the highway continued on north to Churubusco. The 1926 route turned west on Washington Center Road. The Lincoldale area was completely altered when Interstate 69 was built. Road construction has caused sections of the original Lincoln Highway route to become dead ends. Fort Wayne celebrated the Lincoln Highway with bonfires, long parades, arches built to welcome travelers, and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) erected a flagpole at the city limits to show their patriotic efforts. Lincoln Highway Association’s promotional efforts included the building of concrete bridges. The Lincoln Highway Bridges in Fort Wayne opened in April 1916 over the St. Mary’s River at a cost of $200,000 as a part of Harrison Sreet. The granite plaques show that it is 742 miles to New York and 2,660 miles to San Francisco. Today the bridge is part of a greenway pedestrian and bike system. This is the first paragraph copied from the Lincoln Highway by Tom Castaldi, local historianat ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage).
Road name changes are frustrating, but usually occur in modern times when named roads that originally did not connect, often due to rivers and creeks without bridges or other obstacles, are connected many years and decades later when many existing homes and businesses with long-time addresses are merged by connecting those roads.
Early roads were often named for the people living along or near the roads since an Indiana law of 1816-17 required males age 18-50 to donate up to 6 days labor annually to open and maintain public roads. Pioneer families created early roads by cutting down trees and laying the original road beds through the primeval forests that greeted the early pioneer families. Such stories are sometimes found in early county records.
Roads near the center of the township often have center in their names like Aboite Center Road, Lafayette Center Road, Maumee Center Road, Milan Center Road, Pleasant Center Road, and Springfield Center Road. Two pairs of center roads are north-south Adams Center Road changes to Marion Center Road, and east-west St. Joe Center Road changes to Washington Center Road once separated by the Saint Joseph River are now connected by a bridge as they cross township boundary lines.
The new four-lane limited-access highway traverses northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio to connect Fort Wayne with the Port of Toledo. The corridor spans about 75 miles from Interstate 469 in New Haven to near Waterville, Ohio, south of Toledo. One of 50 state road projects finished this year because of Major Moves money from the long-term lease of the Indiana Toll Road. The route will provide direct connections to Interstates 80, 90, 75, 69 and 469 and join the under-construction Hoosier Heartland Corridor that will connect I-69 in Fort Wayne to I-65 in Lafayette. The new U.S. 24 will make it easier to travel to the Great Lakes region, officials said. - November 15, 2012 12:11 p.m. Fort to Port finally open for business Last Indiana section finished by Vivian Sade of The Journal Gazette newspaper, posted on NEI Northeast Indiana.
Lima Road, formerly known as Lima Plank Road. Was the first plank road in northern Indiana. It was named Lima Plank Road when it ran northwest from Fort Wayne to Lima, now Howe, LaGrange County, Indiana. In 1847, the road was built by Samuel Hanna. It was made of planks so that wagons could ride smoothly! A photo of one of the planks at The History Center in Fort Wayne was posted July 13, 2019 by Fort Wayne Road Commission - FWRC on Facebook.
The old Bostick Road Bridge, spanning the St. Marys River off of HWY 27, just south of I-469. The bridge was built in 1894 by the Canton Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio and closed in April 2004. Bostick Road Bridge Award The Highway Department's effort to restore and preserve the historic Bostick Road bridge was recognized by ARCH -- the Architecture and Community Heritage organization of Allen County and northeast Indiana. ARCH presented the Highway Department with its 2012 Good Stewardship Award for the ongoing preservation of an Allen County landmark. The rehabilitation of the single-span bridge included new steel members, bridge decking and bridge painting in order to provide for the preservation of this historical structure. Following the restoration, the bridge is now being utilized as a pedestrian way across the St Mary’s River. copied from page 9 of the 2012 Allen County Annual Report. More information can be found in Historic Bostick Road Bridge dismantled by Kevin Leininger in the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper. IF BRIDGES COULD TALK William L. G. Etzler, P.E. Executive Director Allen County Highway Department in a 4-page document on Purdue.edu, Bostick Road Bridge Turner Bridge, Allen County Bridge 268 on HistoricBridges.org, and Bostick Road Bridge on Bridgehunter.com: Historic Bridges of the United States.
A January 8, 2022 post by Indiana Department of Transportation: Northeast on Facebook stated: Curious what road projects are ahead this year? NextLevel Roads.com shows current and upcoming projects through 2027. You can use the menu on the right to customize your search, zoom in to areas you more frequently travel, and click on the colored dots to learn more.NextLevel Roads states: Indiana is taking transportation and logistics to the next level. Transportation plays a major part in Indiana's success story. Now, with a sustainable, data-driven plan in place to fund roads and bridges, Hoosiers can rest assured that Indiana will remain the Crossroads of America for generations to come.
The Allen County Highway Department works diligently toward the multi-year goal of converting all gravel roads in the county to a chip-and-seal hard surface. However, there are still more than 50 miles of gravel roads in Allen County.
Allen County residents who want the Allen County Highway Department to apply dust control material to their stone and gravel roads this spring can now mail in their application or drop it off in person to any of the three Highway Locations. Residents have until April 30 to sign up. That deadline is quickly approaching.
Applications can be found at www.allencounty.us/highway-department. Print the completed form and submit it with a check or money order. Payments by credit card cannot be accepted at this time. Applicants can also call or come in person to any of the Highway Department Offices to submit a verbal application.
Once again, this year, residents can choose one of two options — an application of either Dustay, which is an asphalt emulsion, or calcium chloride. The Highway Department charges $2.25 per linear foot for Dustay, while the cost for calcium chloride is $1.45 per linear foot. Either option requires a minimum 200-foot application.
The department will schedule with the suppliers to begin placing the dust control materials after May 1, 2023, depending on weather and road conditions. The materials will be applied in two treatments and will span the full width of the road.
For more information, call the Highway Department Main Office at 260-449-7369; the North Maintenance Facility at 260-449-4781; or the South Maintenance Facility at 260-449-4791.
Highways
INDOT Indiana Department of Transportation has a website 511.org which has live cameras showing current incidents, road conditions, snow plows, and construction sites on major highways.
February 22, 2023 by Art This Way on Facebook:Check out this PBS NewsHour feature on Art This Way and Downtown Fort Wayne!
"Fort Wayne, Indiana, went through tough times for several decades as manufacturing plants closed, jobs dried up, and people left. But recently, the city has made a turnaround and a big investment in public art. Special correspondent Cat Wise spent time with an artist who is a driving force behind that effort."
