USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River, Vol. I > Part 63
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89
On Friday, "Musical and Carnival Day," an exhibition of phys- ical training in the public schools was given, under the direction of Prof. Henry Meyer and Miss Clara A. Snively. Sixteen hundred children participated in the demonstration on West Wayne street, between Harrison street and Fairfield avenue. During the week the instructors and pupils of the Fort Wayne Normal School in Lakeside, Miss Flora Wilber principal, placed metal "markers" on the sites of many historic spots within the city of Fort Wayne.
The greatest interest of the week, however, centered naturally upon the historic pageant, which was presented nightly when the weather conditions permitted. The stage for the great outdoor play had been placed on the island in the artificial lake in Reservoir Park, and an amphitheatre seating 14,000 persons rose before it to form an ideal place of entertainment for a vast audience. One night was devoted to the free entertainment of the children of the city, and the array of 14,000 delighted boys and girls was a sight without equal in the story of Fort Wayne. Perfect lighting effects and acoustic properties were combined elements in the success of the pageant.
559
1916 1917 CENTENNIAL (1916)-COLISEUM-Y. M. C. A.
The story was that of the spot on which the city of Fort Wayne stands, unfolded in six magnificent scenes. Wallace Rice, of Chi- cago, the author of the Book of the Pageant to which he gave the title "The Glorious Gateway of the West," planned the work in a masterly style. Donald Robertson, the pageant master, trained one thousand persons to interpret well Mr. Rice's conception of the
· FORT . WAYNE . · · CENTENNIAL .HYMN . .
MAESTOSO.
mf
mp
1. Great Lord, who through the roll-ing years ~
Hast brought Thy ser- vants here, - -
2. Here in . the dark-ness of old time -
The sav - age came to stay ;- -
3. Our Hearts to love - li- ness in - cline,- -
Our souls to deeds of love ;- -
mf
mp
And grant-ed them this cheer, - -
Re- moved from them their ancient fears How long and slow the up-ward climb -
To peace and this fair day!
Be- neath Thy sky may free-dom shine |
And just- ice from a- bove !-
them .slow sky
their the
an- cient fears up- ward climb
may
free- dom shine
m
While
now in ju - bi - lee -
Still guard us with Thy mighty wing - Thou who didst lead our fathers far As now the pre-sent from the past
Guide Thou our dai - ly life; -
Hath gained Thy glo-rious reign,
৳
Still Thou As
guard, still who, now, as
Thou
guard us with Thy migh-ty wing, While now in ju- bi- lee who didst lead our fathers far Guide Thou our dai-ly life; now the pre-sent from the past Hath gained Thy glorious reign, poco rit .-
mf
4
Thanks-giv-ing un -to Thee.
We meet with prayer and praise to sing - Thou gav-est them an end of war; - So may the fu- ture fol - low fast
With- hold our hands from strife.
A - men.
With bless-ings on Fort Wayne!
mf
poco rit
THE FORT WAYNE CENTENNIAL HYMN.
A committee of musicians selected the composition of D. Parsons Goodrich, of Fort Wayne, as the best among many submitted in 1916 as the official Fort Wayne Centennial Hymn. The words are by Wallace Rice, of Chicago, author of the Book of the 1916 Pageant. The engraving is from the original manuscript by Mr. Goodrich.
WORDS BY WALLACE RICE MUSIC BY D. PARSONS GOODRICH
560
THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE
story in word and action. The first scene introduced the early French period of occupation of the lands at the head of the Maumee. The second presented the most thrilling incidents of the British rule in 1763. The third had for its theme General Wayne's victory over the savages in 1794 and the building of Fort Wayne. The fourth told the story of the siege of the fort by the Indians in 1812. The fifth gave the picture of the evacuation by the United States troops in 1819. The final scene depicted the enlistment of volun- teers for the Civil War in 1861.
The music for the pageant was provided by a band composed chiefly of the Elks' organization under the direction of John L. Verweire, who, with Edwin Dicey, contributed largely to the musical success of the pageant. Among the honors which passed to citizens because of intelligent effort in connection with the celebration was that awarded to D. Parsons Goodrich, composer of the music for the Centennial Hymn, for which Wallace Rice wrote the lines; C. E. Wittenbrook, who won the prize as the designer of the Centennial poster, and Guy Drewett, who designed the official Fort Wayne flag.
TROOPS TO THE MEXICAN BORDER.
The military spirit grasped the youth of Fort Wayne during the spring of 1916, when conditions along the Mexican border sug- gested the early need of United States soldiers to deal with the bandit hordes under Villa. Early in June, the need came with pressing force, and by the middle of the month, in response to official notifica- tions from Adjutant General Franklin L. Bridges, Company E, Indiana National Guard, began immediate preparations for active service. On the 19th of June, Captain John E. Miller received the formal order to recruit the company to war strength. It is of record that more new men were recruited for this company than for any other in the state of Indiana. Amidst the playing of patriotic music by the bands, the company responded, on the 24th of June, to the call to Camp Benjamin Harrison, at Indianapolis. The parade to the Lake Erie and Western railroad station was led by veterans. Arriv- ing at the station, the troops and the great crowd of spectators listened to an address by Colonel David N. Foster. Arriving at Indianapolis, the troops remained in camp until July 11, when they entrained for Camp Llano Grande, Texas. The officers of Company E at the time of departure were : John E. Miller, captain ; Ray Mc- Adams, first lieutenant, and Earl Howard, second lieutenant. The rejection by the army surgeons of Captain Miller at Fort Benjamin Harrison for physical disability, caused Lieutenant McAdams to be commissioned as captain, and Second Lieutenant Howard as first lieutenant, while the vacancy in the officers' personnel was filled by the promotion of Sergeant William Howard Miller to second lieu- tenant.
Arriving at the border, Company E First infantry became a unit in the Indiana brigade under Gen. Edward M. Lewis, formerly commandant at Fort Benjamin Harrison and colonel of the Twenty- third United States infantry. The work of Fort Wayne's crack infantry company during its nearly nine months of arduous service among the mesquite and sand dunes of the Texas plains and along the Rio Grande, protecting the border from Mexican attacks, won
L
2
1
3
4
7
5
6
MAYORS OF FORT WAYNE FROM 1885 TO 1917.
1. Charles F. Muhler. 2. Daniel L. Harding. 3 Henry P. Scherer. 4. Chauncey B. Oakley. 5. Henry C. Berghoff. 6. Jesse Grice. 7. William J. Hosey.
IEL
RESERVAIH
STAGE
TABER S
EAST
BARR
CREIGHTON
RESERVOIR PARK, SCENE OF THE GREAT FORT WAYNE HISTORICAL PAGEANT IN JUNE, 1916.
An ideal spot for the presentation of the historic pageant of Fort Wayne, entitled "The Glorious Gateway of the West," was found in Reservoir park, where a cast of more than one thousand Fort Wayne citizens enacted six scenes depicting the thrilling, inspiring story of Fort Wayne. The temporary amphitheatre accommodated fourteen thousand persons. On the closing night of the pageant every child of Fort Wayne of school age was admitted free of charge. The event was considered the most artistic success in the history of pageantry in America.
FORT WAYNE FLAG (BLUE AND WHITE).
The flag of Fort Wayne, adopted and displayed during the centennial celebra- tion of 1916, was designed by Guy Drewett of Fort Wayne. The white stripes suggest the three rivers, and the stars dnote Fort Wayne's import- ance as "Indiana's Second City."
PERRY A. RANDALL.
The erection of a monument to the memory of Perry A. Randall to express the appreciation of a community for a life of service, is a striking proof of his worth to Fort Wayne during a long and active life.
561
1916 1917 CENTENNIAL (1916)-COLISEUM-Y. M. C. A.
the highest praise of its superiors. The first death to occur in the ranks was that of Private Floyd Wolff, drowned while in bathing, July 16, and Private Robert E. Sullivan, who died from the effects of a gunshot wound accidentally inflicted by the discharge of a weapon in camp at Llano Grande, October 12. The bodies of both soldiers were shipped to Fort Wayne and interred with military honors, in which detachments of Battery D, Indiana field artillery, the Spanish War veterans and the G. A. R. participated.
Immediately after the departure of Company E, efforts were entered upon for the formation of a scond company, Battery D, Indiana Field Artillery. This organization was ready to answer the call to proceed to Indianapolis early in August. The departure for the Mexican border was made without delay. The officers were Captain, John C. Scheffer; senior first lieutenant, Henry C. Moriar- ity; junior first lieutenant, Luther Mertz; senior second lieutenant, Bert G. Lewis; junior second lieutenant, Lee Hensley, of the Sixth U. S. artillery. Four of the five officers were veterans of the Spanish- American war. Arriving at Camp Llano Grande, the command was given the equipment of Battery C, recalled from border service and assigned to the Indiana field artillery contingent under Colonel Robert H. Tyndall. Battery D also gave an excellent account of itself. With Company E, it was recalled home from border service in March, 1917, and both military organizations were given a splen- did reception on their arrival in Fort Wayne, a public demonstra- tion being carried out on the evening of March 21, consisting of a banquet for the soldiers, a parade in which thousands participated, and public ceremonies in conclusion.
THE ANTHONY WAYNE MONUMENT.
After several years of preparation, the final plans for the erec- tion of a bronze equestrian statue to the memory of General Anthony Wayne were decided upon in 1916. The commission, after viewing the models submitted by several of America's well-known sculptors, awarded the work to Charles E. Mulligan, of Chicago, but the sud- den death of the sculptor revised the plans, and George E. Ganiere, of Chicago, was selected. The sum of $15,000 for the statue, in bronze, in addition to $900 for two separate tablets, was set aside. The monument commission was composed of J. Ross McCulloch, William F. Ranke, Mrs. Frances Haberly-Robertson and Colonel D. N. Foster. The site chosen for the monument is the northwest corner of Hayden Park, facing the Lincoln Highway (Maumee avenue).
The agitation for the erection of a monument to General Wayne was begun previous to 1889, in which year the annual report of the chief engineer of the United States recommended that congress appropriate the sum of $5,000 for a statue to be placed on the site of old Fort Wayne. Congress failed to act. Then, in 1894, the board of county commissioners authorized a levy of one-fourth of one cent per year on each $100 of assessed property valuation for the creation of a fund to erect a monument to Wayne's memory. The money thus secured was used in payment for the present mon- ument.
562
THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE
THE MUNICIPAL COLISEUM.
Following a spirited campaign in a successful effort to create public sentiment in favor of the creation of a fund to build a munic- ipal coliseum, the citizens in November decided by a vote of 10,227 to 947 to issue municipal bonds in the sum of $225,000 for the erection of the building. The plan had its beginning in 1911, when the Commercial Club, under the leadership of William M. Griffin as the chairman of a special committee, undertook to interest the citizens to the extent of bringing before the city council the evidence that a coliseum was one of the city's greatest needs. Eight thousand citizens signed a petition and the council was thereby given autho- rity to proceed with the undertaking. That body, however, de- manded a more decisive expression from the people, and, to that end, the Indiana Legislature was petitioned to allow the city of Fort Wayne to issue bonds to the amount of $225,000, subject to the decision of the voters at a special or regular election. The vote of nearly eleven to one shows the decided support given to the project. Charles R. Weatherhogg was selected as the architect of the build- ing. The site chosen was the Allen Hamilton property at the south- east corner of Lewis and Clinton streets, but in June, 1917, the city council upon the suggestion of Mayor Hosey voted to defer the building of the Coliseum and use $185,000 of the fund for the pur- chase of "Liberty" bonds to aid the national government in the war crisis. The site of the Coliseum was converted into a temporary city park.
THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
The city of Fort Wayne attracted wide attention in May, 1916, when an immensely successful campaign to secure funds to erect a magnificent Young Men's Christian Association building broke the world's record for a ten-day canvass in cities of the Fort Wayne class. The campaign was directed by E. L. Mogge, of Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization worked under the leadership of two "generals"-S. B. Bechtel and Arthur F. Hall. Arthur H. Perfect served as chairman of the executive committee. The stipulated quota of $300,000 was exceeded by $41,000. The largest contribu- tion was that of William E. Mossman, who gave $50,000 to the building fund. The site at the corner of Barr street and Washington boulevard east was purchased for the sum of $42,500. 'Charles E. Weatherhogg, of Fort Wayne, with Shattuck and Hussey, Chicago, as consulting architects, was selected to design the building. Edwin W. Peirce, of Boston, Massachusetts, was engaged to serve as its general secretary, and he entered upon his work in the winter of 1916-1917. The officers of the association, in the spring of 1917, were: President, E. E. Greist; vice-president, B. Paul Mossman; recording secretary, R. H. Mauk; treasurer, Theodore Wentz.
The effort to establish and maintain a Young Men's Christian Association in Fort Wayne during the earlier years was not without its beneficial results as well as its disappointments. The original effort was made in 1853, when the following officers were elected : President, Isaac Jenkinson; vice-president, Henry J. Rudisill; cor- responding secretary, C. J. Dietrich; recording secretary, Marshall S. Wines; treasurer, George W. Humphrey; librarian, Henry Tons.
563
1916 1917 CENTENNIAL (1916)-COLISEUM-Y. M. C. A.
The association opened headquarters at the northwest corner of Main and Calhoun streets. The enlistment of many of its members in the war of the rebellion disorganized the association, but with the restoration of peace a reorganization took place in 1867, with Anson Waring as president, and Dr. P. G. Kelsey, Homer C. Hart- man, H. E. Smith, James E. Graham and D. C. Fisher in other official positions. In 1873 Edward P. Williams was elected president, M. V. B. Spencer secretary and H. Vordermark treasurer. W. H. Cotting- ham served as general secretary. This association was disbanded in 1875, and for ten years the town was without an organization. In March, 1885, upon the formation of a new association, Edward A. K. Hackett was elected president, R. S. Philley, Spencer R. Smith, W. T. Ferguson and August J. Detzer vice-presidents, J. A. Tyler treas- urer and C. H. Newton secretary. Among the succeeding secretaries were W. F. McCaughey and A. M. Wright. This organization suc- ceeded in erecting an imposing home on the site of the present People's Trust building, on the east side of Calhoun street, between Wayne and Washington streets, but financial difficulties lost the property to the association and, in 1895, it passed into the hands of those who converted it into a commercial building. For a period of several years the Daily News occupied it. The organization was maintained, however, and for a period B. Paul Mossman served as president. This organization lent material aid to the railroad de- partment of the association which was formed in 1884, with D. F. Moore as secretary. This organization laid careful plans for the successful campaign of 1916.
WORLD'S RECORD BROKEN IN RED CROSS STAMP SALES.
Fort Wayne's superior interest in the nation-wide crusade against tuberculosis brought to the city for three successive years (1914, 1915 and 1916) the record of having exceeded all other cities in Indiana and second in America in the percentage of Red Cross stamps sold during the holiday seasons to create a fund to carry on the campaign. The number sold in 1914 was 286,164, in 1915 360,103 and in 1916 455,066. The stamp sale department of the Fort Wayne Anti-Tuberculosis League was in charge of a committee of which Mrs. J. R. Meriwether was the chairman.
FORT WAYNE ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS LEAGUE.
The Fort Wayne Anti-Tuberculosis League was organized in 1910 with the following officers: Dr. Eric A. Crull, president; Dr. E. M. VanBuskirk, Mrs. W. E. Davis and A. J. Moynihan, vice- presidents; Italia E. Evans, secretary, and Mrs. Elizabeth J. Daw- son, treasurer. The immediate effect of its efforts is shown by the decrease of the number of deaths in Allen county due to tubercular diseases since that time. In 1909 there were 122 deaths; in 1910 126; in 1911, 120; in 1912, 116; in 1913, 90; in 1914, 86; in 1915, 111, and in 1916, 92. Aside from the persons already named, deep inter- est in the work has been shown by P. A. Randall, Prof. Louis Dorn and many others.
The league at the first engaged Miss Shively to serve as a visit- ing nurse, succeeded by Miss Irene Byron. Through the co-oper- ation of the board of county commissioners and the county council
564
THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE
an anti-tuberculosis settlement on a portion of the county farm northwest of Fort Wayne, known as "Fort Recovery," was estab- lished in 1915. The undertaking has proven to be a splendid success.
In November, 1916, with the help of the school board and per- mission from the Plymouth Congregational Church, a fresh-air pub- lic school for nervous and anemic children (not tubercular) was established at the southwest corner of West Berry street and Fair- field avenue. The school was named the Perry Randall Fresh-Air School, in the honor of the late Perry A. Randall, president of the Fort Wayne Anti-Tuberculosis League at the time of his death. The school, which was established through the initiatory efforts of Miss Byron, was the second to be established in the state of Indiana, the first being placed in Indianapolis. The original funds were secured through the sale of old newspapers and private subscrip- tions. Miss Mildred Rohyans was placed in charge of the school, which was opened with the attendance of twelve pupils selected by the teachers of the school-the present attendance being twenty- five pupils.
ERIE-MICHIGAN BARGE CANAL.
Although similar projects had received the attention of the people at an earlier date, no great united movement to connect Lake Michigan with Lake Erie by the construction of a great barge canal was made until a group of enterprising Fort Wayne men, headed by Perry A. Randall, aroused the enthusiasm of the middle west and brought the project to the attention of official Washington. To Mr. Randall, Charles S. Bash, Thomas J. Logan, Thomas E. Elli- son and Henry W. Lepper, of Fort Wayne, and C. B. Williams, J. W. Caswell and F. E. Wickenhiser, of Huntington, Indiana, is given the credit for the promotion of the undertaking, beginning with the year 1907, when the first meeting to discuss a waterway from Toledo to Chicago, by way of Fort Wayne, was held, on the 16th of November. Mr. Randall presided at this meeting, and he outlined his plan to enlist aid of the United States government to "fill the gap" between the two Great Lakes by means of a barge canal. Sentiment in favor of such a project grew, the people in all of the cities along the route of the proposed waterway became interested, and, later, the Erie-Michigan Deep Waterway Associ- ation was organized, with Mr. Randall president.
Some time later a demand was made upon the government through Congressman Cyrus Cline, of the Fort Wayne district, to appropriate $50,000 for a survey of two routes-the Harris route, from Fort Wayne northwest to South Bend and on to Chicago, and the Frank B. Taylor route, from Fort Wayne south through Hunt- ington and on through to the Calumet river to Chicago. Two gov- ernment surveyors, Percival M. Churchill and Malcolm R. Suther- land, were sent to Fort Wayne to begin this work, which was later continued by Capt. L. H. Watkins, who completed the surveys and filed a report with the army engineers, which board is composed of Col. John Millis, Maj. P. S. Bond and Col. W. V. Judson. This board determined that the project will cost approximately $148,000,- 000, that as an engineering project it is feasible and practicable, but the members have disagreed as to the amount of business to be
565
1916 1917 CENTENNIAL (1916)-COLISEUM-Y. M. C. A.
derived each year from the canal. Colonel Millis, head of the board, recommends in a minority report that the waterway be constructed, while the other two members recommend that action be postponed indefinitely. The army board's report was filed with the Rivers and Harbors Board, and to this report northern Indiana canal enthu- siasts objected. An appeal was taken, and December 10, 1916, was set as the date for hearing in Washington. At this hearing appeared Thomas E. Ellison, S. F. Bowser, Avery M. Groves, Frank B. Taylor and C. B. Williams. Arguments were presented and placed on file, but no final decision has yet been rendered. S. F. Bowser was chosen, in 1917, as the president of the deep waterways association, and Mr. Groves became its secretary. Others who have been actively working in the interest of the barge canal are W. W. Hawley and B. J. Bartlett, of Huntington; Edward Wasmuth, of Roanoke, Indi- ana; Maurice C. Niezer, Judge Robert S. Taylor and Charles R. Lane, of Fort Wayne. Mr. P. A. Randall, at the time of his death, completed a service of several years as a member of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress. Avery M. Groves was chosen as his successor.
The project to connect Lake Erie and Lake Michigan by the construction of a canal first received attention during the late '30s, when, with the completion of the Wabash and Erie canal between Toledo and Fort Wayne, a vast sum was also expended upon a canal to connect Fort Wayne with Lake Michigan (see map, page 342). The abandoned enterprise was revived in 1859. "This plan," says the Fort Wayne Gazette of December 22, 1865, referring to the earlier attempt, "proposed to slack-water the Maumee to Fort Wayne, and the St. Joseph [which empties into Lake Michigan at St. Joseph] from its mouth to Elkhart, connecting these points [Fort Wayne and Elkhart] with a canal sixty miles in length. There would be difficulties in making this canal connecting the two rivers, and in getting a sufficiency of water to supply it," adds the Gazette, "and yet the summit it crosses is very much lower than by the Southern Michigan route." This latter proposed route was confined to the state of Michigan, and was receiving, in 1865, the earnest support of the Toledo commercial interests. The Gazette adds the information that the original route, by way of Fort Wayne, Elkhart and South Bend, had been completely surveyed, probably as early as 1859, and that an elaborate report thereon had been made "by one of our most distinguished engineers." It is believed that Jesse L. Williams was interested in this project, for it was to him that A. N. Hart, a large landowner in the Calumet river region, appealed in 1882 for assistance in the projection of a similar canal to connect with his properties.
MONUMENT TO PERRY A. RANDALL.
A lifetime of devotion to the public good brought forth from the people of Fort Wayne an expression of appreciation of the greatness of the work of Perry A. Randall. Upon the day of his sudden death, February 2, 1916, attention turned instinctively to the creation of a fund to erect a suitable and lasting monument to his memory. This resulted in securing, without personal solicit- ation, the sum of $3,500, all in small amounts and from persons in
566
THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE
all walks of life who thus gave expression to the universal feeling of a personal loss in the death of Mr. Randall. Frederick C. Hib- bard, a Chicago sculptor, was engaged to design a bronze portrait bust, and this, with its pedestal, was placed in Swinney Park in the fall of 1916. A bronze tablet bears these words: "Erected by the citizens of Fort Wayne as a memorial to Perry A. Randall in recognition of the high example of civic patriotism his life afforded. From early manhood he was continuously a resident of this city. In initiative and executive ability he possessed rare gifts for the performance of public service. Every project for the benefit, wel- fare or advancement of Fort Wayne found in him a devoted, unsel- fish and efficient supporter. 1847-1916."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.