Old City Hall now serves as the Fort Wayne History Center. The museum is a virtual timeline outlining the history of the city and county from the glaciers, through the American Indian period, Anthony Wayne and the building of the fort named after him, the coming of the canal and railroads to the present.

Text and Photos
By Rod King
Guest Columnist

FORT WAYNE — There it stands. Right in the middle of modern downtown Fort Wayne. It looks like a castle that should be perched on a hill in 17th century Germany. Its sandstone blocks exude history. History leaks from every door and window.

It’s the Fort Wayne History Center. This is where the city and Allen County history is on display. It’s a great story that starts with the receding of the glaciers, through the era of the American Indians to the coming of General Mad Anthony Wayne, the development of the city and the products that were invented and produced here.

Built in 1893, the building housed the offices of the mayor, city administration, city court, Fort Wayne Police Department and the jail. The only residents of the jail today are a 1950s FWPD motorcycle and a cardboard stand-up of a forlorn-looking prisoner. Prisoners were escorted from the basement jail to city court on the second floor to hear their cases.

The city court room is now the location of the annual Gingerbread Festival. This cherished event has been held there since 1986. It has become one of the city’s holiday traditions featuring the works of local artists ranging from pre-kindergarten to professionals. This year’s event will be Nov. 29 through Dec. 22.

Developed in Fort Wayne, it could pump up to 15 gallons per minute. A bell would sound after each gallon was pumped.

Old city hall became the headquarters of the Fort Wayne Historical Society in 1980. Since then, it has built its collection to more than 32,000 pieces, including photos, artifacts and documents representing the history of the city and the county displayed in an easy-to-understand presentation.

American Indians were present in the Three Rivers Area well before the Miami tribe settled here. Little is known of those people, but they left behind tools, drills, arrowheads and pottery.

Much more is known about the Miami Indians who established a village, Kekionga, here because of the portage between the Maumee and Wabash Rivers, which was a key part of the trade route that stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

Kekionga became a major trading center. The museum’s permanent collection has many artifacts documenting the lifestyle of the Miami Indians and their most prominent leaders, Chief Little Turtle and Jean Baptiste de Richardville.

Probably the most valuable piece in the collection is the fold-up camp bed of General Mad Anthony Wayne. He came to the area in 1794 with the singular purpose of constructing a military fort that would control the region. Following its construction, he left and never returned. The fort was named after him and also became the name of the city that grew up around it. The bed is on loan from the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The History Center is a timeline that traces the growth of the area and includes special pieces, like the Farnsworth Model 4 prototype television, which was developed here in 1945 and is one of the earliest Farnsworth TVs in existence. Packard Organ Company’s number one 1872 test organ is also a highlight.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 65 and over, and $5 for youth.