Victorian Logansport Indiana

Logansport A Historic Hoosier River Community

128 Eel River, the Gilman House: built 1880, mixture of Italianate and Greek Revival. This block is part of the Bankers Row Historic District, a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Source: By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Houses on the southern side of the 100 block of E. Market Street in Logansport, Indiana, United States. From left to right, they are: 121 Market: 1925, Tudor Revival 115 Market (almost invisible): 1920, vernacular 111 Market: 1900, American Foursquare

Source: By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Buildings on the northern side of Broadway between Fifth and Sixth Streets in downtown Logansport, Indiana, United States. From left to right, they are: 520 Broadway: 1960, no style 524 Broadway: 1890, Neo-Renaissance 530 Broadway: 1890, Richardsoni

Source: By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

ront and eastern side of the Jerolaman-Long House, located at 1004 E. Market Street in Logansport, Indiana, United States. Built in 1853, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Source: By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

RenichRenichMacochee

Captain Logan was born Spenica Lawbe in 1774 to the Indian chief Moluntha and his wife Grenadier. The boy was taken captive by General Benjamin Logan in 1786 new the towns of Macochee in Logan County Ohio. The general became attached to the young boy and raised him as his own son.Logan became a famous scout for General Harrison . Logan was a very impressive individual standing six foot tall and weighing 250 pounds. One of his most noted feats was bringing women and children to safety when Fort Wayne was threatened by the British.

During the war of 1812 Logan gave his life for the American cause doing reconnaissance work at the Maumee River. He had been accused by a junior officer of being disloyal to the American cause and had volunteered to go on the dangerous mission to retain his honor. Captain Logan was buried in his home village of f Wapaghkonetta, at Wapakoneta,
In 1837 the Erie Canal reached Logansport and its population growth has already been helped by the completion of the historic Michigan Road which runs through the town. Several railroads severed Logansport contributing to it becoming a very prosperous Victorian town

.Built Where Two Rivers Meet

At the turn of the last century Logansport was home to the brass automobile company Rutenberg and the Western Motor Company. The founder Edwin Rutenber invented the first four cylinder engine. Logansport reflecting the prosperity of the day had a Carousel in the park near the Eel River. The carousel is one of three of the original 100 built by the company in the late 1800's. It was in Spencer Park and has since been restored and move to an enclosed pavilion in Riverside-Park The carousal is on the National Registrar of Historic Places. and can be ridden by the public today.

Logansport with its historic ties to the railroad used to sponsor the Iron Horse Festival. The festival ceased when many of the historic trains were moved from the area. The festival had been replaced with a Heritage festival but that also unfortunately did not continue for long. In 2003 Logansport was bestowed the honor of being named a Preserve America city by first Lady Laura Bush. This designation is given to communities that actively try to preserve their heritage.

Logansport boasts a very important historic cemetery. The ninth street cemetery was founded in 1828 and its first interred person was a nameless small child. There are over 80 veterans buried in the cemetery that have served in every American War since our country's founding including the American Revolution. Logansport like many small Midwestern towns has fallen on hard time but it takes s great pride in itS heritage and boosts many lovely Victorian homes and Churches many in various stages of restorations. Unlike many Midwestern towns the old city proper is inhabited by local families and the old storefronts still make up a great deal of the still utilized local commerce. Logansport is not a city defined by strip malls and suburbs. It is community whose lovely Victorian structures are still used by the citizens in the course of their everyday life...

Canal Site Historic District U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Source: By Ashish3vedi (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Wabash Erie Canal in Logansport, IN

In March of 1827 congress passed an act to provide Indiana with the funds to build a canal to connect the Wabash River with Lake Erie. The Logansport part of the canal was completed in the summer of 1838. The can came down north of the Wabash and present day Erie Street is built of the bed of the old canal. An aqueduct was built over the Eel River at Fifth Street which at the time was called Canal Street. In the fall of 1838 water was let into the canal and it went as far west as Berkley Street. However, it was not until 1840 that workers were able to extend the canal to pass over the Eel River.

The Wabash and Erie Canal provided settlers and businesses with a reliable and inexpensive way to move people and goods across Indiana. It was a huge boon to the county and gave Logansport the prestige of a water front town and greatly increased the population and commerce of the town. Canal boats were known as ." packets" and carried both people and goods in and out of towns lining the canal. The boats provided a limited number of state rooms and meals for their wealthier passengers so most ordinary folks were dependent on stopping in towns along the canal for their meals. The canal boats stopped at the various towns on route to Lake Erie to drop and pick up freight and passengers.

Canal boats had ropes securely fastened to their bows and were pulled or "towed" by strong mules. These tow paths were used by mules for over thirty years and some of these well worn trails can still be made out today along the river's edge. When packet tied up in Logansport it was a source of excitement for the whole town. The post master and other met the packets to get all of the latest mail and verbal gossip from the east.

Many early businesses were associated with the canal. Today where the Presbyterian Church stands on Seventh Street stood the Obenchain-Boyer flour mill. Just to the west was the Pollard -Wilson Mercantile. On the west side of downtown was a huge warehouse that was built to store freight coming on and of the canal boats. The first large merchandise store run by pioneer Thomas Pierce stood at Fifth and Broadway (at the time Canal and Broadway). Thomas Pierce was the father of the later well known tailor Patrick Pierce.

Many families came to settle in Logansport via the canal. Many of the families moved to Logansport from Fort Wayne and Lagro as new commerace opportunities was opening up due to the opening of the canal. Many families had settled in the community to help with the construction of the canal. A malarial outbreak occurred during the building of the canal and most of the victims were buried in the east side of the old Ninth Street Cemetery . In 1890 when Ten Street was expanded to cut across Erie Avenue the bodies were moved to Mount Hope and Mount Saint Vincent cemeteries. Many of the bodies were those who had perished in the epidemic while working on the original canal. The coming of the railroad to Logansport made the canal impractical to maintain. The canal was abandoned in 1875 after about thirty five years of usages

The author of the History of Logansport and Cass County Graham Tabor in 1947 wrote that he remembered' driving cows down the , old drying canal bed as far west as Ninth St. in order to water them at the old spring just south of the cemetery and then as the glorious Indiana sunset faded view , the chorus of frogs in the remnants of the old canal would begin its nocturnal serenade.":

Indiana Sesquicentennial Commission

Source: History of Logansport and Cass County by Graham Taber copyright 1947 by the Pharos-Tribune. Published at Logansport ,Indiana.

Firsts in Early Logansport, Indiana History

The owner of the land that was to become Logansport was Chauncey Carter. He laid out the town originally with one hundred and eleven lots. The border of the city ended at Fifth Street or Canal Street. Once the town had an official name the first resident born here was Sarah Smith on February 15, 1828. Her family who had yet to establish their own residence was staying at the combination tavern, trading post, and inn known as Major Bell's Cabin. This cabin stood where the Wabash Depot stood at a later date.

The first official house was built in Cass County by Alexander Chamberlain. It was built on the south shore of the Wabash where the now defunct St. Joseph's Hospital stood. General Tipton built the first large residence in 1833 on Biddle's Island. The first official hotel was called Washington Hall in 1828. It stood on the south west corner of Third and Market Street.

The town's first bank was called the Logansport Insurance Bank and was established in 1837. It was located on Third Street between Market and Broadway. The first official school was called the Eel River Seminary and it too was organized by General Tipton , who would later donate land for the first public school it was established in 1829. It was built on the northeast corner of Fourth and Broadway. The first church in Logansport was Presbyterian and also was established in 1829 by the Reverend Martin M. Post. The church was located just south of the Pharos Tribune building and stood until the late 1930's. It of course had be replaced as the central place of worship long before that.

The first post office ran out of Major Bell's cabin and was established in 1827. The first postmaster was Hugh B. McKean. The first official newspaper was established by War of 1812 veteran General Hyacinth LaSalle. He was part owner of the then later Logansport Canal Telegraph.

Logansport early growth was slow. The coming of the Wabash and Erie Canal changed that as did the coming of the railroad. In 1861 the population of Logansport was 3,000 and by year 1871 the population had more than doubled to 7 ,500. Even after the Civil War Logansport remained very much a farm village in character. The town had only gravel streets for many years and fences were required in every yard to, "protect lawns from encroachment' of geese, pigs and cows that wandered the streets at large.

In 1848 the 'Lake Michigan , Logansport, and Ohio River Railroad was established. It took many years for many major lines of railroads to transform Logansport into a modern city. By the 1890 's the city boasted a well used electric Inter Urban system. The day of the Inter-Urban came to an end about 1915 with the wide use of automobiles and buses.

The first Inter-Urban depot on Broadway near where Keller's Pool Hall stood in the late 1940's.

Logansport today is an odd mixture of homes built just slightly before the Victorian Era and meant to house very large families to a large number of smaller cottage type homes built in the more frugal depression era and then again after World War II. The 'strip mall ' area of Logansport is blessedly small and a significant number of modern businesses occupy the older buildings downtown. Logansport sadly has many wonderful Victorian Homes given over to being cheap rentals that will someday be adopted by appreciative owners and restored to their original glory. The town also boasts a large number of Gothic churches built before the turn of the last century. Some of this even stand abandoned or used by congregations that have little appreciation of their historical significance. Time will tell if an influx of some sort of money into the local economy will preserve many of these houses and buildings that make Logansport so unique.

Source: History of Logansport and Cass County by Graham Taber copyright 1947 by the Pharos-Tribune. Published at Logansport Indiana.

Logansport, Indiana sits the Haunted Shiloh Cemetery and Church. Logansport Indiana

Historical Burial Grounds in Logansport, Indiana

stroll through the cemeteries of Logansport, Indiana is a trip through the earliest history of our state and our country. The oldest public burial ground in Logansport in the Ninth Street Cemetery, also known as "Spencer Square Cemetery, is located east of the town between 9th and 10th street. The land, still heavily forested, was donated by General Tipton in 1828.

The first burial in this cemetery was in that very year. An infant child of William Smith died at the cabin of Daniel Bell that was just south of the cemetery. The next burial of note is that of James Foster. He passed at Alexander Chamberlain's tavern on the Wabash River, December 23, 1828; He was buried on Christmas day. James Forster being a Mason was buried by the local Masons. This was the first Masonic funeral held in Cass County. Both the graves of the Bell child and James Foster are unmarked.

The oldest marked graves in this pioneer cemetery are those of Thomas Hartgrave on February 15th 1815 and Samuel Fisher on November 17, 1816. Since the grave yard was not established till 1828 were probably moved from private pioneer plots other pioneer graves of note are that of Gen. Richard Crooks, who served under General Harrison, in the War of 1812 and passed at Logansport in 1842. He grave was marked with a sugar tree that stands near the middle of the cemetery.

The first African American buried in the graveyard was William Cooley who served General Jackson at New Orleans in 1815 and passed in 1842 at Logansport. The pioneer poet Enion Kendall also rest in this ancient burial ground having passed in 1856.There are many veterans buried in the cemetery from America's earliest wars

Mount Hope Cemetery is in the north part of Logansport. It has the distinction of being the third largest cemetery in Indiana. It was opened in 1857 and the first burial was that of a Mr. Benjamin Peter in 1857. His monument notes that it was the first erected in Mount Hope cemetery.

The area of greatest historical value and interest in this cemetery is the section dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic. Even today in the Veterans circle any one who has honorably served in the military can receive a free plot.

CHIEF MENOMINEE'S CAMP BURIAL GROUND

In September of 1838 nearly a thousand Pottawattamie Indians stopped to camp at Horne Creek Hollow These unfortunate Native American were on their way to Kansas being escorted by Indiana State Troops in what has become known as the Pottawattamie 'trail of Death'. Two Indians died while camped at Logansport and at least eight others had perished on the way to Logansport. There are there are three children and seven adults in this make shift burial ground.

In 1938 on the hundredth anniversary of the tragic trail of death all of Logansport's school children from both the public and private schools had a ceremony where they places flowers on the Indian graves A service was at the Wesleyan Methodist Church and a placard erected on the nearby heavily traveled Michigan Rd. The placard read

1838-1938

IN MEMORIAM

CHIEF MENOMINEE'S 1000

POTAWATOMI INDIANS

FROM MARSHALL COUNTY,

WHO CAMPED HERE WHILE

BEING DEPORTED TO THE

WEST AND THOSE OF THEM

WHO DIED, AND ARE BURIED

NEAR THIS SPOT.

THE SCHOOL CHILDREN

OF LOGANSPORT

AND CASS COUNTY .

When the mounds of these graves were still visible on the land of James Horney their location was pointed out to Dr. J. Powell by Jacob Powell who was a soldier who was part with escorted the Indians through Indiana. The graves are just south of Smith Street near the intersection of Smith and Morgan street.

Cass county has too many private pioneer graveyards to mention but a visit to the local Historical Society can possibly help you find the elusive grave on a particular ancestor you are looking for. Anyone visiting Logansport may want to include a visit to this historical burial site to get a better understanding of Logansport's earliest residents.

History of Newspapers in Logansport, Indiana

The demise of the small town newspaper has been going on for sometime. Most small communities in the late 19^thcentury had at least a weekly local paper and most had a daily paper. Larger Victorian towns many times would have several local papers and various morning and evening editions.

Anyone who is searching older papers for genealogy purposes will end up fascinated by the details that they can glean from these papers. Everything was published from your ancestor's winning fourth grade essay on being an American to when your great Aunt Sally went to visit her cousin two towns over for a week. In those days local news was truly local and can give us a glimpse into everyday life in small town 19^th century America.

I recently found an article on the history of newspapers in Logansport Indiana in an old souvenir edition of the Logansport Reporter. It was published October 11^th1894 on the front page. There was no byline. A reading of this souvenir edition shows it to be very much like the vanity local histories published during this time period. The Souvenir edition featured rather flattering sketches of local business leaders and politicians that were made for the consumption of friends and family. The article on the history of Logansport Newspapers was the "vanity" that the publisher was throwing his own profession.

The first newspaper published in Logansport Indiana was called the Pottawatomie and Miami Times by John Scott. John Scott had recently settled in Logansport. He was originally from Centerville in Wayne County Indiana. The paper was printed on an old Ramage press and was about 18 by 24 inches. The first edition was published on Saturday August 15, 1829; the newspaper office was located on Market Street at the intersection between Fourth and Fifth Street.

In 1831 the name of the paper was changed to the Cass County Times. The first edition of the Cass County Times was November 16^th 1831. It took twenty six months to publish the 52 issues of this paper. In 1832 Scott again changed the name of paper to Logansport Republican. This paper was published until December 1833 when it ceased publication.

This local paper was replaced by the Canal Telegraph published by Stanislaus LaSalle on January 2, 1834. In November of that year the name of this paper was changed to The Logansport Canal Telegraph. Later the name was changed to the Logansport Telegraph. It remained the Logansport Telegraph until the demise of the paper until after 15 years of publication. The paper ceased to publish. This is the paper that published the account of the lake Monster by famous Indian artist George Winter. This paper also regularly featured sketches by this local artist.

There were numerous attempts at establishing weekly and daily papers for consumption by the growing Logansport populace during the early 1800's. At the time of publication of this history of Logansport Newspapers there were twelve local papers being published regularly. The major paper was the Logansport Journal which a continuation of the Logansport Telegraph under new management. It began publication in 1849 and became the Logansport Daily Journal in 1870.

The roots of our current and only daily paper published in Logansport Indiana were the called The Democratic Pharos published first in 1844 by Samuel Hall. The name was changed to the Logansport Pharos and be became a daily paper in 1874. The current daily paper goes by the name Pharos-Tribune.

The complete article on the history of Logansport Newspapers can be found in souvenir edition of the Logansport Reporter Part Two dated October 11, 1894 on the front page. Copies of this paper can be found on various newspaper archive sites online.

The end of the article comments on how literate the Logansport populace was to support so many varying types of newspapers. Newspapers at the time were not exactly objective, but reflected the political and social affiliations of the readers. The diversity of newspapers published in the late 1800's in Logansport was just reflecting the growing and diverse population that was settling here.

Front and southern side of the Pleasant Hill Church, located along the western side of County Road 675W north of its junction with County Road 400S west of Logansport in Clinton Township, Cass County, Indiana, United States. Built in 1875, it is list

Source: By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Historic Churches to Visit in Logansport Indiana

Logansport boosts 43 different churches. There are many wonderful Victorian houses of worship in Logansport. Many do not house their original congregations ,but three of note that have done extensive restoration projects in the downtown area are The Baptist Temple, Trinity Episcopal Church , and All Saints Catholic Parish. Many of these churches have been established in this community for over a hundred years and served different early immigrant groups.

Baptist Church - 700 E. BroadwayThe Baptist Temple located at 700 E. Broadway was dedicated March 20^th 1912. The church was founded in 1848 and a brick church was built on the present location in 1862. The buff brick church is Classical Rival with Corinthian columns. The church construction cost at the time was built at the cost of $40,000 dollars

Trinity Episcopal Church - E. MarketTrinity Episcopal Church on E. Market was dedicated in 1870. The congregation was established in 1843. The church first met at 228 E. Market in July of 1841. The first rector was Reverend Francis H.L Laird. The style of the present church is Gothic Revival and the church hosts a Hook and Hastings Organ.

All Saints Catholic Parish (Formerly St. Bridget's) 2^nd and MarketIn 1868 fifty German Catholic families petitioned Bishop Luers for a church of their own. The present parish was dedicated on February 2^nd 1870 to the honor of St. Joseph. The corn stone was laid during an expansion of the parish July 12, 1885. The parish has provided Catholic education in the community since 1850.

More on Trinity Episcopal Church
The first priest in charge of Trinity Episcopal Church was the Father H.L Laird who arrived with his family in Logansport in 1841. The parish of Trinity Episcopal Church was organized on July 19, 1841. The church building was completed in 1843 but Bishop Jackson Kemper' first Missionary Bishop of the Episcopal Church already had over seen the first confirmations.

Trinity Episcopal Church stands on one of the first four corners of Logansport. The church today was constructed in 1869 from limestone from Fitch's Glen that travel to Logansport via the Erie Canal. The landing dock is now the corner of Fifth and Market Street. The lumber for the church floors and ceiling was provided by a member whose farm was just South of Logansport.

The sacristy was added to the church in 1870. They also erected a attached rectory is 1871. The present parish house was built in 1918 and reflected the growing wealth of the community in its finery. The organ at the church was ordered in 1876 at a very costly$1500 dollars from Hook and Hastings in Boston.
It is one of very few such pipe organs in use today from this time periods. In 1989 a severe storm destroyed part of the church roof and cause a great deal of damage to the interior to the church. This lead to a massive restoration of the church and a reinstallation of the organ' A timbered lich gate was added to the Parish house in 2003. Trinity Church continues to be a historic and active parish in the community of Logansport IN.

(Reprint) 1957 Yearbook: Logansport High School, Logansport, Indiana

Amazon Price: $62.72
List Price: $79.95

Thunder Nation and friends - 2010 Logansport Indiana, Eel River Pow Wow

1854 Rail road map accompanying the report an[d] exhibit of the Logansport & Northern Indiana Railroad showing its connections and the through route from St. Louis to New York of which this road forms a part; Logansport, Indiana May 1st 1854; L. S. Nash, Chief Engineer.

Amazon Price: $29.99

Places To Visit In Logansport IN

Logansport State Hospital Museum

1098 S State Road 25
Logansport, Indiana
Phone: 574-737-3708

This museum features artifacts that were part of the hospitals progress mental health care in the 1880's. Exhibitions include art, medical instruments, and photographs from many decades that the hospital has been in use. The museum is open by appointment.

The Depot (IronHorseMuseum)

400 E Melbourne Ave
Logansport, Indiana
Phone: 574-722-4766

This museum is dedicated to remembering when trains were in their heyday in Logansport. The museum features an extensive collection of memorabilia donated by local railroad enthusiast.

Pear Tree Gallery

331 East Market Street
Logansport, Indiana
Phone: 574-737-8374

The Pear Tree Gallery has been showcasing the art of locals and providing art education in Logansport for many years. The Gallery offers a wonderful sampling of the art and design talent in the area.

Frozen Music-Composed Glass Jewelry

1315 E Market St
Logansport, Indiana
Phone: 574-739-2125

This gallery features etched glass jewelry of unique design. You can visit the gallery to admire the work .You can also purchaser this unique form of wearable art.

Lanedale Pottery

4786 W County Road 900 N
Royal Center, Indiana
Phone: 574-643-9390

This gallery features the functional pottery of Billy Cooper and Li Cooper. They specialize in stoneware and porcelain pottery

Logansport Art Association

424 Front Street
Logansport, Indiana
Phone: 574-735-2915

This group sponsors two very important cultural events in Logansport the Spring Art Walk and the Fall Art Walk and Garden Tour. They feature changing exhibits of local artists and offer classes to the community. Their gallery is open to the public.

These are just the few of the local treasures that Logansport offers the visitor. Logansport is a great place to learn about the art, culture, and history of the Midwest. It is a community that promotes artistic culture and still lives and works to a large degree in the wonderful homes and businesses of bygone days.