News Release

WARSAW — A lecture on Winona Lake’s history is set for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, at the Warsaw Community Public Library.

Chief docent for the Winona History Center and principal author of “Winona at 100,” the centennial history of the town, Dr. Terry White will speak on how Winona is currently in its third wave of development and popularity.

Its first wave began in 1881 and culminated in Spring Fountain Park and the religious Chautauqua programs that drew thousands in the early 1900s. Then, after a period of decline, the town revived for its second-wave popularity as the home of the world’s largest Bible conference, the founding place of Youth for Christ, the launching pad for Billy Graham’s ministry, the home of baseball evangelist Billy Sunday and his songleader/publisher Homer Rodeheaver and much more.

Now, in its third-wave rising, Winona Lake includes Grace College and Seminary, cultural festivals and the emergence of the Village at Winona with its shops, programs and restaurants, and more.