More Downtown Spots from CONTENTdm

Azar's Downtown?
gasp

Really?! Yes kiddies, there used to be an Azar's downtown.

Can you tell - in this limited cropped photo - where it used to be?!








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And peaking out above this building - could this be...yes - could this REALLY be - Mike's Car Wash?!












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Oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh.....The Hobby House Restaurant
















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Yep - there used to be a ton of gas stations downtown.




















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Can you guess what the building is in this last picture?! The PTC bus (love the Spring green color!) is sitting right next to it, getting ready to do a major pick up and drop off in the downtown area...

The Building on Wells Street

As I was going through some of the photos I snapped from May, I remembered that I hadn't asked anyone about this building.

If you're going North on Wells, it is on the left hand side, right before you get to Jack and Johnny's.

I pulled two pictures from ACPL CONTENTdm (cropped 'em) and they're below.

The woodworking above the windows - frickin' awesome. And it's still there. I really, really hope that this isn't a building on the demolition list. Please tell me that something positive and uplifting is happening with this building :).

Kristina Frazier-Henry is a Serial Blogger

Thanks to my buddy Mark who sent this link to me. And no Mark - I'm not embarrassed in the least :).

One of the premier Barbie designers was Mattel’s Carter Bryant, whose Cinderella-like Grand Entrance Barbie sent adult collector Kristina Frazier-Henry into orbit. Frazier-Henry of Indiana is a serial blogger who has written 1,325 reviews on Epinions.com under the handle kristinafh.

Her take on Grand Entrance Barbie:

I am a fanatical Barbie collector. Fanatical in the way that I would rather have an NRFB (that’s Never Removed From Box) Barbie than just about any other gift. Surprised? Yeah, thought you were.

Doll Description
This Grand Entrance Barbie is the first collector doll designed by Carter Bryant. It came out in 2001 and was met with a lot of oooh’s and ahhh’s from the adult collecting world. Here’s why.

Close your eyes and imagine an elegant ball. Your hair is blond (natural of course) and shiny. There’s no frizz to be had. The sides of your hair are gently gathered back while the back of your hair is curled in waves and lays gently across your shoulders.

Your gown is a steel blue taffeta creation made by designer Carter Bryant. The bodice is fitted and compliments your elegant waist. Underneath your gown is a thin, slip-like layer of tulle the color of ivory. Sewn into the middle part of your gown is a creamy pink silk sheath. The way the light shines off of the creamy pink makes a total stranger want to come over and touch you.

Yeah. And you thought that I was just passionate about Fort Wayne.

Historical Pictures are WAY COOL!

I'm willing to bet that I've spent more time on the Allen County Public Library's CONTENTdm site than 99% of folks who even know of its existence.

I love this site. Like love. Like would ponder giving up Butterfinger's for a day for this site.

It's so cool to find pictures of people, places and things that you either forgot - or maybe remembered - but no one else could corroborate ;).

ANYWAY - I found a couple of pictures that I wanted to share with you. They aren't just any ordinary pictures. Only I - KFH - would be curious enough to go hunt these pups down (this - I am convinced!!).

Picture #1 - Remember the Fred Astaire Dance Studio? And Indiana Bank?

Hah! There they are! Proof that they existed - and both - downtown. Just as I remembered them.

The picture I pulled this from can be found here

West Washington Blvd at South Harrison Street. Date 04/26/1979.

I love cropping tools!


Picture #2/3 - Cat's Meow and More!

Sure, you remember the Cat's Meow - c'mon - that is a piece of Fort Wayne history.

There are STORIES - tons of stories to be told about this place. I know someone out there is dying to share...

But - do you remember Louie's Chop Suey?! And look at that Stoner's sign!

You can find the original picture that I pulled these two images from here

708 South Harrison Street and West Main Street. Date 01/04/1974.



Picture #4/#5 - On the surface, the picture is a view of Harrison Street, looking North and specifically - the Shell station is within view. That's cool, right? Oh boy - it doesn't stop there. Lookie what else I found!

POWERS!

Where the Hamburgers are 5 Cents! Boy, that place hasn't changed much (except for the price).

Anyway - throughout the week - I'll be posting my many finds.

Thanks for humoring me - and who knows - maybe I'll find one of those gems that you thought was only in your imagination...

McCulloch Park - I See Dead People

When I was a little kid, there were times when we hung out at McCulloch Park.

It is right by GE and also - on the bus line. I know at some point, the Three Rivers Festival parade even marched by the area because we sat there and watched the parade that year.

Anyway...

One of the rumors that kids used to pass on from one generation to another was that there were still a bunch of people, buried in the park and that when it rained, their bodies would float up to the top.

Although your initial reaction as a kid would be fibber!, I would be lying if I didn't tell you that the first time I was informed of this rumor, I had a couple of difficult nights of sleeping.

In my dreams, I kept on seeing myself in McCulloch Park, playing on the grass, then the rain breaks out, and as I run to the gazebo to take shelter, I start tripping all over the bodies that have washed up from the ground.

I know - pretty creepy.

Over time, I just dismissed the rumor. Even forgot about it.

Until today.

Side note: For the record - we all know that Indiana Governor, Samuel Bigger, is still buried there and allegedly, he was the only one.

While I was out on Ancestry.com, I came across this:



A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KAMMEIER FAMILY -- written by Ernst C. Kammeier

After being in America about two weeks, misfortune befell the family. The father became sick and died. That surely was a hard blow for the mother, who was left alone with three little children in a strange country. Fortunately the family was among good friends and neighbors who helped them as much as they could.

Henry Kammeier I was buried in the City cemetery on Broadway. This cemetery later was converted into a park and is called McCullouch Park in honor of Hugh McCullouch, a prominent citizen and banker of Ft. Wayne, who was Secretary of the Treasury of the United States under Pres­ident Lincoln, and who is said to have devised and inaugurated the modern banking system in the United States.

When the cemetery was converted into a city park about the year 1885, quite a number of bodies were removed to other burial grounds but that of Henry Kammeier was not disturbed and is still resting there. The grave is located in the southwest corner of the park near Broadway St. under a large elm tree.

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SO...I guess part of the rumor passed on from one generation to another was true - there ARE still dead people buried in McCulloch Park.

Barbies on a Shoestring

It's amazing to me how little I had - in the material sense - when I was a youngster. Here's a great example.

Here's a picture of me and Kim Spore at my house on Cedar Crest Circle. Looks to be around third grade - maybe fourth grade (1976'ish).

We're sitting on the floor of the bedroom I shared with my sister Patty.

* We had no carpet in this bedroom.

* Most of the clothes you see on Barbie (I'm holding her) or Skipper (Kim is holding her) was handmade by my Aunt Barb (she went through a phase of sewing everything!).

* I'm also holding a "Dawn" too, she is just well hidden behind Malibu Barbie.

* There is a pink barbie case in the left corner of the picture. Notice the "make believe" towel I have draped into the handle. Most likely, that was our designated Barbie bathroom.

* To the right (and still looking at the bottom of the picture) was a silk-like pink box that was my mother's. She got it from some flea market or auction/estate sales. That served two particular purposes in this scenario.

First, it was Barbie's clothes trunk. Yes, instead of a closet, that's where she kept most of her stuff. Second, it was a ledge for her to stand on as she looked up to the loft area where Skipper slept. Believe me, I'm not making this up. Seeing this picture - BOOM - it was like a memory recorder in my head. I could recall just about everything and the reason for it.

* Notice the Brownie (pink) patch and the wings (signifying the flight up from Brownies to Junior Girl Scouts). Those were rugs. Yep, Barbie rugs.

* That blue and white checkered-like blanket that was draped on the box (where Skipper's loft was), was sewn by my Aunt Barb.

* There's a Lipton tea box and a dixie bathroom cup on the floor. Not sure what we were going to use those for!

* Okay - the fact that me and Kim are dressed alike - could only mean one thing. No, it's not like we went to school like this. Most likely, we decided that to play Barbies, we needed to dress alike which is why we both have on skirts and turtlenecks (and by the way - all clothing is mine).

* Regarding auctions/estate sales/flea markets...the white desk in the corner was definitely something my mother picked up from one of those places. We had all sorts of interesting, odds and ends, throughout my house, of these kinds of pieces.

Fort Wayne - Where Everybody Knows Your Business

I'm a little unusual - this - we all know.

One of the things that amuses me, is reading the early Fort Wayne newspapers (specifically 1900-1920).

If you're not familiar with what was reported on by the newspapers in those days - well - let's just say that your business was everybodys elses business. And I'm sure this went on all over the country but it seems just a little bit different when you're reading about the families you're familiar with.

Take my own family for example. My great-grandfather, Walter G. Roy, was married to Rosina Breer and apparently, they had a very tumultuous relationship prior to her (young) death.

I was tempted to pull a couple of other examples however, I didn't want to risk offending someone who might find out here - for the first time - that one of their relatives was the talk to of the city (via a newspaper entry).