The Huntington City-Township Public Library (HCTPL) serves the people of both the city and township of Huntington as well as the town of Markle. Teachers and students in the county schools, another primary/secondary school with a presence in the service area, or Huntington University are also eligible for library cards. It has a large room dedicated as the B. Joan Keefer Genealogy and Local History Center in the main branch, and a small History Room in the Markle branch.
Huntington dentist Dr. Otto King was essential in leading the American Dental Association as its first General Secretary and Editor, 1913-1927. He founded The Journal of the American Dental Association, first published in this city by Whitelock Press. JADA facilitates the international exchange of dental research and professionalization of the field of dentistry.
The Huntington Landing started 120 feet west on Washington St. and continued to the lock at Cherry St.Jefferson Street was closed to motor traffic and transformed into a landscaped and lighted walkway by private financial contributors in 1969.
Between 1900 and 1977, this bridge was home to several buildings. Prior to the bridge, Native Americans and early settlers forded Little River from Charles Street diagonally across just below the Island to the Court House. A dugout canoe, when hailed, carried pedestrians across for 50 cents. The first truss bridge over the Little River was built here at the ford in 1843. A steel twin bridge was built in 1891 and around 1900, A.J. Johnson erected two-story buildings beside the south span of the bridge. Shops, offices, and dwellings were housed here until the structures were condemned. The Southside Businessmen's Association spruced up the fronts, and the Art Guild donated colorful murals to cover 18 upper windows. Following years of controversy, the buildings were razed in 1977 by order of the state.
Drover Town was platted August 22, 1857 by Henry Drover (1815-1880) and is located south of the Little River in the Third Ward of Huntington. It was annexed in January 1874. The combination of architectural styles reflect the growth and changes to the area. Drover Town was given National Historic Registry Status in 2006.
Pioneering cryptanalyst Elizebeth Friedman was born in Huntington. She developed her skill in codebreaking while searching for supposed hidden messages in Shakespeare’s plays at Riverbank Laboratories in the 1910s. There, she and her husband William invented new techniques for modern cryptology and taught U. S. military officers how to break codes in WWI. During the 1920s-1930s, Friedman destroyed crime rings by breaking the codes of Prohibition rum runners and international drug smugglers. She led and trained the U. S. Coast Guard’s cryptanalytic unit, vital to the U.S. Navy and FBI. In WWII, she decrypted Nazi radio messages sent to their spies in South America, helping capture the agents and weaken the Axis alliance.
Huntington, the "Lime City," so named for its many limestone quarries and kilns, the first kiln being built in this vicinity by Michael Houseman in 1843 or 1844. By 1885 there were 31 kilns in operation; eight were perpetual kilns, the others were occasional kilns. The lime was of such high quality it was shipped out of the state as well as being used locally.
Miami Chief Richardville’s council house built for treaty negotiations. Later his son-in-law Civil Chief Lafontaine used it as a residence. It has been restored to 1846 in appearance.
The junction of the Wabash and Little rivers, 100 yards south, was the western terminus of the Maumee-Wabash long portage and, in 1835, of the first section of the Wabash and Erie Canal. During the 18th century French and English traders passed this way and, in 1778, Henry Hamilton brought 171 British troops and 350 Indians with 40 boats through the portage enroute to retake Fort Sackville at Vincennes. Three Miami villages were located here and Chiefs Richardville and LaFontaine once lived here. The Forks was the scene of many Indian councils and the Miami Treaties of 1834, 1838 and 1840.
Marker indicating the prior location of the log cabin where the son of George and Margret Osborn, Chase S. Osborn was born. Both his parents were physicians. Margret was one of the earliest female doctors in the county.
A Warren Public Library Board was organized in June 1916 after a public fundraising campaign to buy books and periodicals. In 1917, a grant of $10,000 from the Carnegie Corporation was confirmed to support construction of a free public library. Library Board selected Samuel Craig as supervising architect 1917. Building is Neoclassical in design.
First lock west of summit level of Wabash and Erie Canal (connected Lake Erie with Ohio River in 1853). Known as Dickey Lock. Built as Lock 1, 1834-1835, of wood construction; renumbered Lock 4 as result of canal completion to Ohio line (1840). Remnant of arch culvert nearby. Canal important to founding of Roanoke.
Born 1810 in what is now Huntington County. She was a granddaughter of Miami Chief Little Turtle. Her second husband was Antoine Revarre; her son Anthony Revarre, lived with her near Roanoke and acted as interpreter since she spoke only Miami. Most Miami were removed from Indiana 1846; 1850 act of Congress exempted her only son and other Miami people.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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This tour takes you to all of the state historical markers in Huntington County. (There are other markers put up by other groups - these will be on another tour.)
