The Fort Wayne Old City Hall Building in downtown

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

operates as a museum known as The History Center, and has served as headquarters for the Allen County–Fort Wayne Historical Society since 1980. The Richardsonian Romanesque style

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

building was designed by the architectural firm

Wing & Mahurin Wing & Mahurin was an architectural firm of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Its principal partners were John F. Wing (1852-1947) and Marshall S. Mahurin (1857-1939), who were partners until 1907. Together with Guy M. Mahurin (1877-1941) they worked also as ...

and built in 1893. It served as a functioning city hall for the city until 1971 when local officials moved to the City-County Building. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1973. The History Center has collected 27,000 artifacts in permanent displays dedicated to the region's history, dating from the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

to the 18th century to present. The Society also owns the National Historic Landmark Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville House and the Historic Barr Street Market.The History Center - Chief Richardville House
Retrieved on 2008-05-01.

Exhibits

* ''Earliest Inhabitants'', tools, weapons, a

mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...

's broken rib bone and large tooth are displayed. * ''Miami Indian History'', images of Pacanne,

Little Turtle Little Turtle ( mia, Mihšihkinaahkwa) (1747 July 14, 1812) was a Sagamore (chief) of the Miami people, who became one of the most famous Native American military leaders. Historian Wiley Sword calls him "perhaps the most capable Indian leader ...

, and Jean Baptiste de Richardville displayed, along with collections on the

Miami Indian Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at t ...

capital,

Kekionga Kekionga (meaning "blackberry bush"), also known as KiskakonCharles R. Poinsatte, ''Fort Wayne During the Canal Era 1828-1855,'' Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1969, p. 1 or Pacan's Village, was the capital of the Miami tribe. It was ...

. Miami chief Little Turtle's items displayed include his watch and sword presented to him by President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

. Exhibit also includes a model of a typical 18th-century Miami village. * ''Anthony Wayne'', exhibits the birth of Fort Wayne with General "Mad"

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

's ordering of a fort to be built at the three rivers, October 22, 1794. * ''An Emerging City'', includes a model of and parts of the

Wabash and Erie Canal The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was th ...

, attributed to turning the city into a boom-town in the 19th century. * ''Industry'', includes a recreation of a blacksmith shop, as well as noting Fort Wayne resident Sylvanus Bowser, creator of the self-measuring gasoline pump. * ''Allen County Innovation'', a new gallery opened in 2012, features a number of the products that were created and produced by entrepreneurs in Fort Wayne and Allen County. City Hall Ft W IN 2

References

External links

*
The History CenterThe History Center Digital Collections
{{Fort Wayne, Indiana City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Former seats of local government National Register of Historic Places in Fort Wayne, Indiana Government buildings completed in 1893 History centers History museums in Indiana Museums in Fort Wayne, Indiana Romanesque Revival architecture in Indiana