ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Hanson Aggregates held its second annual get-to-gether, Wednesday, September 27. It was a cloudy blustery day as neighbors from around the Waynedale area enjoyed a tour to the top of what some people call Mount Ardmore. Although the mountains origins come from the unwanted over-burden from the Hanson limestone quarry, and not the continental drift that forms most mountain ranges, it is definitely the highest landmass in the area.

Hanson Aggregates has come a long way since its humble beginnings.

The Allen County Commissioners first sold the gravel pit to Charles Fairfield in 1862. The business lasted until the Great Depression and then went into receivership. The local bank that held the mortgage offered to let Waynedale resident Bill May run it for a year. The deal was that if Bill could show a profit during the year of 1932 then he would be allowed to buy it on a long-term contract. Bill found ways to save through efficiency and quality control and managed to take over the old gravel pit.

By the early 1950s glacier-polished gravel in paving materials was being phased out and limestone was becoming popular as a basic building material. The increased demand for crushed limestone products gave the May Sand and Stone company a major advantage, because beneath the gravel and sand was enough limestone to last a very long time. By 1951 the company had sold enough of the sand and gravel to expose part of the limestone and blue rock mining was begun in 1952. The limestone quarry was sold to France Stone of Toledo in 1968 and then to Hanson Aggregates. Today the quarry is 321 feet deep, with plans to go even deeper.

Visitors were given a free T-shirt at the bottom of the mountain and then chauffeured via vans along the newly opened south rim which led to the 1000 foot summit.

At the top, was a view of Fort Wayne and the surrounding area. From downtown Fort Wayne, to Poe, to New Haven it was truly a spectacular sight. School buses, dump trucks and cars looked like toys as they traveled up and down Ardmore Avenue. A tent at the top was set with tables and chairs for the guests to enjoy a meal of barbequed pork chops, baked beans and potato salad. Don’t miss the next opportunity to visit the top.