The Winona Lake Historic District is located along the Eastern shore of Winona Lake in

Kosciusko County Kosciusko County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. At the 2020 United States Census, its population was 80,240. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Warsaw. The county was organized in 1836. It was named for the Polish ge ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Historically, it is perhaps best known as a major center within the

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

Bible Conference Movement during the first half of the twentieth century, though these gatherings were just one part of the larger history of the town of

Winona Lake Winona Lake is a town in Wayne Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the major suburb of Warsaw. The population was 4,908 at the 2010 census. Geography Winona Lake is located at (41.220818, -85.817118). It is now contiguo ...

, an area which has been a

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

site,

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

spot, and conference center. It has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places in Kosciusko County, Indiana __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Kosciusko County, Indiana. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kosciusko County, I ...

, since 1993.

Chautauqua era origins

In 1888, J. F. Beyer purchased the area that surrounded the eastern side of what was then known as Eagle Lake. Beyer, along with his brothers, owned a wholesale dairy business in nearby

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, Indiana, and were attracted to the 160-acre tract because of the many artesian springs that could provide a means of natural refrigeration.Terry White (with Steve Grill), ''Winona at 100: Third Wave Rising'' (Winona Lake, Ind. : BMH Books, 2013); Vincent H. Gaddis and Jasper A. Huffman, ''The story of Winona Lake : a memory and a vision'' (Winona Lake, Ind. : Winona Lake Christian Assembly, 1960). ''Note:'' This includes
Site map
and Accompanying photographs. The Beyer Brothers had additional plans for their property, however, and they founded Spring Fountain Park as a summer resort and Chautauqua site. The Park included such attractions as a race track, a modest roller coaster and

cyclorama A cyclorama is a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view, and also a building designed to show a panoramic image. The intended effect is to make vie ...

. A hotel was built, as well as an auditorium, which was used for programs and lectures. The first program included a keynote lecture from

John Heyl Vincent John Heyl Vincent (February 23, 1832 – May 9, 1920) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was born at Tuscaloosa, Ala., and was educated at Lewisburg (Pa.) Academy and at Wesleyan Institute, Newark, N. J. He ent ...

, a co-founder of the original

Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Established in 1874, the ...

in western New York. The grounds changed ownership in 1894 when The

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Church of Indiana purchased the land, a transaction that was negotiated by Solomon C. Dickey. Dickey was then serving as the superintendent of Home Missions for the Indiana synod and would become an honored figure in Winona Lake. Dickey changed the name of the lake and established the Winona Assembly and Summer School in 1895. Although Chautauqua sites often included religious elements, Dickey was intent on bringing a stronger religious feel to the Winona programs and Bible conferences were begun immediately in 1896. Several notable persons held the position of president of the "Assembly," including

H. J. Heinz Henry John Heinz (October 11, 1844 – May 14, 1919) was an American entrepreneur of Palatine descent who, at the age of 25, co-founded a small horseradish concern in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. This business failed, but his second business exp ...

and

John Studebaker John Mohler Studebaker (10 October 1833 – 16 March 1917) was the Pennsylvania Dutch co-founder and later executive of what would become the Studebaker Corporation automobile company. He was the third son of the founding Studebaker family, and pl ...

. Well known evangelists including J. Wilbur Chapman and William Biederwolf served as heads of the Bible conferences. Many performers and lecturers included Winona Lake in their Chautauqua "circuits," including

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

, Admiral Richard Byrd,

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early ...

, Helen Keller,

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

, and

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage ...

among others. In 1911, the sensational evangelist

Billy Sunday William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American outfielder in baseball's National League and widely considered the most influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century. Bo ...

moved his family to Winona Lake, building an

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

that has been preserved as the Billy Sunday Home Museum. Sunday's song leader,

Homer Rodeheaver Homer Alvan Rodeheaver (October 4, 1880 – December 18, 1955) was an American evangelist, music director, music publisher, composer of gospel songs, and pioneer in the recording of sacred music. Early career Born in Cinco Hollow in Hocking Co ...

, soon relocated to Winona Lake as well. Numerous small summer schools were also established.Terry White (with Steve Grill), ''Winona at 100: Third Wave Rising'' (Winona Lake, Ind. : BMH Books, 2013).

Bible conference hub

During its Chautauqua height around 1910, crowds averaged 250,000 annually but by 1915, attendance was in decline. As the fuller Chautauqua-type programming declined, the Bible and prophecy conferences remained strong and became the hall-mark of Winona Lake. These gatherings also reflected a turn toward

fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

and

Premillennial Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, a literal thousand-year golden age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpreta ...

Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...

, though Winona Lake remained a central hub for a wide variety of evangelical leaders and activities.Mark E. Sidwell, "The History of the Winona Lake Bible Conference," PhD dissertation, Bob Jones University, 1988.

Youth for Christ Youth For Christ (YFC) is a worldwide Christian movement working with young people, whose main purpose is evangelism among teenagers. It began informally in New York City in 1940, when Jack Wyrtzen held evangelical Protestant rallies for teenagers ...

, for example, was founded in Winona Lake in 1944 and

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

spoke in the Billy Sunday Tabernacle in 1949. Graham and other Youth for Christ leaders held an all-night prayer vigil in the Westminster Hotel shortly before Graham's Los Angeles crusade and this is remembered by Winona Lake locals as something that helped launch Graham's career. By the 1960s, the "Assembly" had had several rounds of financial pressures and even the Bible Conferences were dwindling. In 1968, the grounds were purchased by

Grace College and Theological Seminary Grace College & Seminary is a private evangelical Christian college in Winona Lake, Indiana. It has six schools: The School of Arts and Sciences, The School of Behavioral Sciences, The School of Business, The School of Education, The School o ...

and the school also assumed the assembly's heavy debts.

Community renaissance

During the 1980s, as the older buildings and facilities continued to decline, the historic district became known for its dilapidated condition. The town experienced a renaissance in 2000, however, when local business leaders invested the heavy resources needed to creat
The Village at Winona
and other recreational and local initiatives. The effort included the restoration of historic buildings, the creation of small shops along the canal, cultural events, formation of the Reneker Museum of Winona History (No
The Winona History Center
and the promotion of outdoor leisure and recreation. Although these efforts took place between 1998 and 2000, members of the Winona Historical Society had been raising awareness and taking small steps since at least 1990.

Remaining historic buildings

* The Winona Hotel (originally called Eagle Lake Hotel) * Westminster Hall (Formerly known as the Presbyterian Building, The Westminster Hotel and the International Friendship House) * Mount Memorial (Originally called the Free Methodist Publishing House) *

Billy Sunday Home The Billy Sunday Home was the residence of William A (Billy) Sunday, Helen (Ma) Sunday, their four children, and the family's live-in housekeeper and nanny. Located in the Winona Lake Historic District in Kosciusko County, Indiana, it is a prim ...

* The Franconia (Home) * The Administration Building * The Beyer Home * Killarney Castle (Solomon Dickey's home) * The Railroad Power Station * Church of the Good Shepherd * Winona Lake Free Methodist Church * Swiss Terrace Homes (The Geneva, Interlaken)

References

External links

The Village at Winona

The Winona History Center at Grace College
{{National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Historic districts in Kosciusko County, Indiana Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Kosciusko County, Indiana 1887 establishments in Indiana