History Center Notes & Queries: Along the Heritage Trail--Links for more study

by Nancy McCammon-Hansen

If you’re looking for something to do with the kids this summer, why not take a walk on the Heritage Trail?

The Heritage Trail is a collection of four walking tours that were developed during Fort Wayne’s Bicentennial in 1994. You can pick up a map here at the History Center or from ARCH or Visit Fort Wayne. This is a great opportunity to learn more about central Fort Wayne and our city’s early history. Plus…if you take along a camera, you can develop a photo essay of some wonderful architectural elements for your Facebook page.

Tom Castaldi, Allen County historian and History Center board member, helped to develop the Heritage Trail Map when he was employed by the Essex Corporation, which underwrote the cost of the maps and the accompanying guidebook in cooperation with ARCH. Tom’s work is chronicled by “Fort Wayne Monthly” in his column “Along the Heritage Trail” and we are fortunate to have permission from the magazine to republish his articles.

As a guide to help you get a little more out of your walks, we’re providing here a list of blog posts from “History Center Notes and Queries” to accompany the map. Enjoy reading about Fort Wayne History as you Walk the Heritage Trail.

Central Downtown Trail begins at Freimann Square, corner of Berry and Clinton

1. Anthony Wayne Statue--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-anthony-wayne-statue.html

2.      Journal Gazette Building--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-journal-gazette-building.html

3.      Transfer Corner--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-transfer-corner.html

4.      Allen County Courthouse--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2014/02/world-class-county-courthouse.html

5.      Lincoln Tower--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-lincoln-tower.html

6.      Elektron Building--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-elektron-building.html

7.      The City Building aka The History Center--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2012/05/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html
(if you come on Saturday mornings during the Barr Street Market, admission is FREE from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

8.      “Mother” George--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2010/05/eliza-george-fort-waynes-civil-war.html

9.      First Church Building/McCulloch-Weatherhogg House—we do not have a blog post on this structure, but here’s a link to ARCH’s information: http://www.archfw.org/McCulloch-WeatherhoggHouseFirstPresbyterianChurch.htm

10.   Anthony Wayne’s Fort--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html
11.   Last Two American Forts

12.   Pirogue Landing--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html

13.   Headwaters Park

14.   The Lincoln Highway--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/06/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html

15.   The Landing--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/04/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html

16.   Canal House--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2014/04/canal-house.html

17.   Wabash & Erie Canal--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-master-engineer-of-wabash-and-erie.htmlAND http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-master-engineer-of-wabash-and-erie.html

18.   Nickel Plate Railroad--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2014/01/earliest-rails-in-fort-wayne.html

19.   The Beginnings of Allen County

West Central Trail (begins at the Allen County Public Library—which has the second largest genealogy library in the nation)

20.   Allen County Public Library—get a “real life” view of the Anthony Wayne plaques on the second floor. These plaques are pictured in http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-anthony-wayne-statue.html

21.   First Presbyterian Church—another resource for history lovers is Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana. Here’s a post about First Presbyterian: http://www.acgsi.org/genweb/churches/waynech.asp#presbyterian

22.   Trinity English Lutheran Church—see the above link

23.   Robert C. Bell and Ninde Homes--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/09/joel-ninde-and-wildwood-company.html

24.   Colonel Sion Bass House
25.   Trinity Episcopal Church--http://historycenterfw.blogspot.com/2013/06/liturgical-fashion.html