Director

The house was constructed at the Forks of the Wabash in approximately 1833/34. It is a two story clapboard house with Greek Revival features. At the time the house was built, the property was on the Miami Indian reservation, and served as the tribal headquarters from 1833 until the death of Miami Chief Jean Baptiste Richardville's successor, his son-in-law Chief Frances LaFontaine, in 1846/1847. Lafontaine used this building as his main residence. Local family tradition says that Chief Richardville never actually lived here, and that council negotiations were held in a round building that was located to the north of US-24 and torn down a long time ago.In 1977, the Junior Historical Society of Huntington North High School led by Jean Gernand worked with the owners of the house, Luke and Erma Sheer, to restore the Chief’s House. Due to the necessary widening of US 24, the house was moved south a couple hundred yards to its current location in the Historic Forks of Wabash. This house and the Nuck log cabin are two of the structures you can visit and tour by appointment. In 1990, Ball State University did excavation work during a restoration of the house. The full report of their findings can be viewed at the Keefer Center at the Huntington City Township Public Library.

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.

Home of Chief Richardville

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.)

Huntington County has had libraries almost since its founding. One of the earliest was established by the “Working Men’s Institute” and founded in 1855. The HCTPL traces its roots to this library which, in turn, provided the foundational materials to a subscription library founded in 1874 called the Public School Library. In 1889 the library was reorganized under state law to become a “free” library supported by a tax levy. The new name was “City Free Library.” From 1889 until a building completed with funds from Andrew Carnegie opened in 1903, the library was housed in the city high school.The library changed names in 1971 to the Huntington Public Library when it separated from the school library. It changed again in 1975 when the service area was expanded to include Huntington Township. Since then, it has been the Huntington City-Township Public Library even though in 2003 the service area expanded with the merger of the Markle Library.The 1903 Carnegie Library building still stands at 44 E. Park and is now the location of TCB Games. The current building opened in 1987 and was expanded twice: in 1996 and 2010. A major remodeling was completed in 2019. The main length of the building was designed to resemble a canal boat with the prow rising above the entrance. The entrance even sits on top of the former route of the Wabash &amp; Erie Canal.

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 City-Township Public Library

Dr. Otto Ulysses King was born on a farm in March 18, 1873. When he was sixteen his family moved to Huntington, Indiana, where he attended high school and won the S.M. Saylor award for best orator in his class. He spent one year at Indiana University in Bloomington before going to the Chicago Dental School and Northwestern University Dental School. Upon graduation, he returned to Huntington and opened his practice. Dr. O.U. King was noted for his work in taking dentistry from a trade to a profession. He was named secretary for the National Dental Association (NDA) in 1913 and developed the Official Bulletin for quarterly publication. This publication would become the Journal of American Dental Association (JADA). He used the publication to mobilize dentists for service in World War I and share methods of treating trench war injuries to the mouth and teeth. Volunteer dentists who did not serve in the active theatre were instrumental in helping many men qualify for enlistment. This was a time when an awareness of dental health was not common in the American public. So, The Preparedness League of American Dentists (operated by the NDA) helped rectify many issues that otherwise would have made men either unfit for active service altogether, or fit only for limited, non-combat, roles.After the war, he continued to focus his attention on the education of good dental health. He with four other dentists planned and formed the prestigious American College of Dentists, which emphasized ethics, professionalism and the desire for dentist to serve their communities. Dr. King retired in 1927.This marker is the first historical marker in Indiana celebrating the contributions of dentists.

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.

Dr. Otto U. King

The Wabash &amp; Erie Canal was 4 feet deep and 100 feet wide at the Huntington Landing. Other locks were at First St. and Byron St. The Canal was completed from Fort Wayne to Huntington on July 4, 1835, and from Toledo to Evansville, 459 miles, in 1854. The Canal preceded the railroad to Huntington by 20 years, spurring early settlement. The Canal was abandoned in 1873.The 1866 map of downtown Huntington shows where the Wabash and Erie canal crossed Jefferson Street just above Washington Street, about where Nick’s Kitchen is today (FYI they have really good pie). As you stand near the marker, make sure to look up and see the dates on tops of the buildings, especially those on the corner of Jefferson and Park, near the Rotary Centennial Park.Jefferson Street was the Huntington segment of a pioneer route - the Fort Recovery to Goshen Road - travelled by settlers from Ohio to Lake Michigan and northwest areas in the 1830's. Jefferson Park Mall was a result of volunteer efforts in 1969 to create a non-drive through area for shopping and dining. There was a play area, benches and a fountain. The area was reopened to one-way traffic in 1991.

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.

Canal Landing/ Indiana's First Tax Free Mall

A pair of covered bridges replaced the ford (a shallow place in the river that allows one to cross on foot or drive across) at Jefferson Street to the Island and then to Drover Town. These bridges appear to have had Multiple Kingpost Trusses and may have been Burr Arches. “In the construction of the bridge originally very little metal was used. The arches and the square timbers were fastened together with wooded pins fashioned by hand as was nearly all parts of the bridges.”In 1891, the wooden structure was replaced with steel spans connecting Jefferson Street across the Island and from the Island to land on the other shore. The wood from the bridge structure was used in the construction of some of the homes in the area as flooring or studding.In 1892, only two businesses were located on the Island in the middle of the Little River. After a court decision indicating that Mr. Johnson was not disrupting the flow of the river with his cement abutments even during flood, construction began in earnest. By 1907, seven buildings spanned the south side of the bridge. Rods and truss braces were placed under the buildings due to the settling of the structure. By 1919, both north and south of the island had buildings on the bridge (along with a full set of buildings on the island). While an interesting idea, there was no sewer system and sewage would go right into the river. The buildings fell into disrepair and were condemned in 1966. In September of 1975, the State of Indiana stepped in and ordered the buildings demolished. In July 1977, the buildings were finally torn down. Today there is a large walkway on the bridge to a pavilion.

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.

Buildings on the Bridge

Drover Town included 20 of Henry Drover’s 160 acres of woodland. The streets were not laid out in the north-south/east-west grid that was common in towns at that time. The streets are named after family members of Mr. Drover. Sections of original brick sidewalks can been seen today. Strong evidence allows that the bricks’ origins have been traced to Ohio. The homes located here are primarily late 19th century and predominately of a Queen Anne style, though examples of Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate along with fourteen other architectural styles can also be seen. While predominately residential, there were some retail businesses and a few factories in Dover Town. While many of the small businesses do not remain, the Griffith’s Block at the corner of Jefferson Street and Riverside Drive remains. The oldest house is the Samuel Purviance House established in 1859 with its combination of Greek Revival and Italianate style (now a Bed and Breakfast on South Jefferson Street.Drover Town Historic District was given National Registry Status in 2006.

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.

Drover Town

The youngest of nine children, Elizebeth (unique spelling was on purpose as her mother did not want her name to be shortened to Eliza) Smith grew up in Huntington, IN. Though her father did not believe in the necessity of college for females, he did loan her the money (at 6% interest) to attend Wooster College in Ohio and then Hillside College in Michigan when her mother became ill. After school she became employed by Col George Fabyan at his Riverbank estate to analyze the works of Shakespeare and from a cryptology angle attempt to prove they were actually written by Francis Bacon. On a short break, she worked in the Huntington library.While no clear line could be drawn between Bacon and Shakespeare, she met William Friedman and introduced him to the world of cryptology. As their skills developed, they laid the scientific foundation for modern code-breaking. During the First World War, she taught the first generation of Army Signal Corps code-breakers at Riverbank. Elizebeth also worked with the US Navy and State department to assist them in stopping bootleggers in the age of Prohibition. In 1930, she testified in court cases that led to the imprisonment of bootleggers and smugglers. As Cryptanalyst-in-Charge, Elizebeth intercepted and broke a Nazi code that helped prevent Germany from taking over South American governments. J. Edgar Hoover for many years took credit for this as she and her team had signed an oath of secrecy. She finished her career as a consultant for the International Monetary Fund in the area of secure communications. When William died in 1969, she complied the annotated bibliography of William’s collection of papers and books on cryptology to be donated to the General George G. Marshall Research Foundation and Library. Elizabeth died in 1980 but prior to that had designed their tombstone that resides in Arlington National Cemetery, complete with hidden meaning based on the Bacon cipher.

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.

Elizebeth Smith Friedman Marker

A 1910 article from the Huntington Herald, mentioned that Huntington had one of the largest lime producing plants in the state and that the quarries and kilns located in and around Huntington produced annually 1,150,000 bushels of lime. A major product of the lime kilns was quicklime which then was converted to powdered “hydrated lime” mostly used for mortar. Another major product was agricultural lime which was used to enhance soil acidity.This location was originally a quarry owned by Keefer and Bailey Lime, Brick, Time and Cement Company was abandoned. In 1924, the city acquired the property and E.M. Wasmuth along with the rest of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce worked with the Chicago Landscape company to transform the area. The park was dedicated to the city in 1929. It was featured in the November 1929 Better Homes &amp; Gardens article, “Conquering the New Frontier of Civilized Ugliness”. In 1964 to 1967, the city performed a major restoration project of the gardens. In 2010, a grant provided funds for the restoration of the stonework.In a tradition that began in the early 1980s, Christmas lights decorate the Sunken Gardens from mid-December until the New Year. The large “Merry Christmas” wreath is a recreation of the 1937 Wolf and Dessauer wreath began hanging on the downtown Huntington store in 1953. It became a part of the Sunken Garden tradition in 1998, was off for a year being recreated in 2018, and was redeployed in 2019.

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.

Lime City Marker

Forks of the Wabash is the area in which the Little River (also known as Little Wabash and La Petite Rivière) and the Wabash River meet. This area has been known since the early 1600s by traders as part of the shortest route between the lower Great Lakes (Lakes Erie and Ontario) and the Mississippi River. It was a village and headquarters for the Miami Indians after Chief Richardville’s death in 1941. Beginning in 1818, the Miami ceded portions of their land to the United States government, first to the south of the Wabash and then to the north. A few places were “reserved” for use by various individuals, families, and groups. Even these diminished, so that by 1840 only individual and family lands remained and most Miami were forced to relocate to Kansas and then Oklahoma. While the marker stands on the east side of State Route 9 in a grassy area off the shoulder of US 24, a trail head is nearby that offers a paved path to walk (handicap accessible) in the area of the Forks. Continuing on US 24 west, on the left side of the road after passing over State Route 9 is the Historical Forks of the Wabash.Historic Forks of the Wabash is dedicated to honoring prior generations and educating visitors about those generations. The Chief’s House has been restored to 1846. While there is some conflicting information on whether the house was built by Chief Jean Baptiste Richardville or by this son-in-law Chief Francis LaFontaine, there is no doubt of the historical significance of the house. Also located on the property is the Nuck log house, an 1841 pioneer log cabin and a schoolroom furnished to the 1880s. In the 1990s, Ball State University did excavation work during a restoration of the Chief’s House. The full report of their findings can be viewed at the Keefer Center at the Huntington City Township Public Library.

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.

Forks of Wabash

George Augusta Osborn (1823 – 1902) pursued a career in medicine after pursuing course work in Indianapolis. He became a respected physician and surgeon in Lafayette and South Bend. Margaret Fannon Osborn (1827 – 1914) also pursued a medical career after finishing her course work at Ladies Commercial College and marrying George. The Osborns moved to Mt. Etna in 1856. Dr. G. Osborn was a staunch abolitionist who assisted with the underground rail road and even named his son Chase Salmon, after the famous abolitionist, Salmon P. Chase. Chase S. Osborn (1860 – 1949) pursued a degree at Purdue, wrote for and ran newspapers, prospected for Iron and was the Governor of Michigan from 1911 to 1913. His autobiography The Iron Heart is available to read in the B. Joan Keefer Center at the Huntington City-Township Public Library.

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.

Chase S. Osborn/ Pioneer Medical Doctors

In 1918, the Warren Free Public Library was housed over Fran Young’s jewelry store with a total of 100 books. Discussions were made regarding where a new library could be built. Land was secured along with a $10,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, which went towards the cost of the building. In 1917, Samuel Craig of Huntington submitted his application to the Board and was selected as supervising architect. He drew up the plans and work began in 1918. Because of WW1 and the shortage of supplies, completion of the project was delayed. The current library opened in 1920. The library opened with 1,534 books on the shelves. Over the years changes to the building have taken place, including updates to restrooms, remodeling of the basement for a children’s department, new paint and carpet, increased shelving (to hold the over 20,000 physical materials the library now circulates) and a lift to assist in accessibility.

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.

Warren’s Carnegie Library

The Wabash and Erie Canal was established as a means of transportation for both people and materials. The canal was difficult to construct and maintain due to flooding, mosquitoes and natural growth. Because of different water heights, locks were necessary in the construction of the canal. A lock allows water levels to rise or fall by opening or closing the ends of the chamber and raising or lowering water amounts in that area. In the days of the canal, “locking” would happen approximately one foot of water per minute, thus adding to travel time. Dickey Lock (Lock #1, later renamed Lock #4) was the first lock to “step down” from the St Joseph River out of Fort Wayne. This lock was made of wooden timbers, but other locks were made from cut stone or composite (building stone that was of an inferior quality). The brothers Dickey (John, William and Robert) were very involved in canals in both Ohio and Indiana. In 1847, Dickey, Doyle &amp; Dickey had a packet boat business on the Wabash &amp; Erie Canal. These packet boats (also known as canal boats) had a set price for travel, a regular schedule, and were approximately thirteen feet wide by ninety-five feet long. It is likely that this early lock was named after one or all of the Dickey brothers.The town of Roanoke was founded near the Dickey lock, with L.G Jones building first a saw mill and later a flour mill near the lock. The population of the town continue to increase from 1840 to 1849.In 1855 the Lake Erie, Wabash and St. Louis Railroad completed its first segment from Huntington to Fort Wayne with regular service between the two cities beginning the next year and was complete to St. Louis before 1859. This route followed the Wabash and Little Rivers nearly paralleling the canal between Fort Wayne and Lafayette. Rail travel was faster and more cost efficient, causing the canal to be abandoned in 1873.

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.

Wabash & Erie Canal Lock 4

Kiilhsoohkwa (also spelled Kilsoquah, the Setting Sun) is considered by many historians to be the last full blooded Miami Nation member to die in Indiana. She was the granddaughter of Chief Little Turtle. She was born in 1810 at what is now known as the Forks of the Wabash. She first married at 16, but unfortunately he passed away in their first year of marriage. She later married Antoine Revarre. Two of the children born of this union survived to adulthood. Mary, her daughter, left with the majority of the Miami Indians in the relocation to Kansas-Oklahoma in the 1840s. Her son, Anthony (also known as Wahpinmonwah, White Loon) stayed with her in Huntington. In part due to their family’s status, they were allowed to stay on their land in Huntington County. In the winter months, she lived in a small cabin and in the summer months lived in a wigwam. In 1899, the log cabin burned and only a few mementos from her life were saved. She then lived in a two room frame house, with a sleeping loft for her son. In July of 1910, the town of Roanoke held a large gala in honor of her 100th birthday. It is thought over ten thousand people attended the mass, speeches, refreshments and food. While it is said her son forgot her pipe (as she did enjoy it after a meal), he was resourceful and found her a cigar. She is said to have laughed and then smoked it.In 1913, her daughter Mary was able to journey from Oklahoma to visit Kilsoquah. She was overjoyed as she had long feared her daughter dead. Kilsoquah died in 1915 at the age of 105. Due to the kindness of her friend Dr. Koontz, she was buried with the remains of her husband Antoine.For twenty years, her grave was unmarked in the I.O.O.F cemetery at Roanoke. Fred Becker, a monument dealer in the city, offered to provide and maintain the marker. The marker is in the form of a tree trunk and is approximated five feet tall.

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.

State Historical Markers in Huntington County

Home of Chief Richardville

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources