Waynedale History

The Tower and the Church   In the late 1920’s a first lone gasoline pump occupied the northwest corner of Old Trail and Lower Huntington Roads, where East of Chicago Pizza now resides. The sign at the corner often said: ‘Out of . . . Read More

Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1904 was a historic and eventful day for hundreds of Missouri Synod Lutherans of Fort Wayne and vicinity. It was truly a joyous day of Thanksgiving as they gathered together with friends and neighbors to participate . . . Read More

In May 1944, Lester and Bertha Umber converted an old gas station at the corner of Lower Huntington Road and Old Trail Road into a hardware store. They started with $700 in inventory and approximately 1000 square foot of floor space. . . Read More

Waynedale Annexed, June 1957 Editors Note: This article was found in The Waynedale News archives. The writer is unknown.   The 1956 election was a sweep of the Republicans in the County and State. . . Read More

Early 1900s   Previous issues traced the adventures and growth of Waynedale. The early 1900s were the creation years of Waynedale. In 1918 World War I bonded us together, as did the previous community experience. . . Read More

After the 1929 stock market crash our nation was thrown into a disastrous depression. One of the resulting freedoms exercised was the way of life of the hobo. The first 15 years of my life I spent very close to the trainmen on the Lake Erie & . . . Read More

Waynedale 1929/1930   Before the Great Depression, Waynedale was all for growth…new adventures, new businesses and exciting new gadgets to affect our way of life. Bowser Pump had a good sales force and top-notch inventors, but they needed help . . . Read More

PRAIRIE GROVE CHURCH AND CEMETERY The society that used to meet at Prairie Grove Chapel in Wayne Township was organized in 1888, but is really a reorganization of an older class, possibly the United Brethren Society, which dates back to 1854. . . Read More

Waynedale’s First Library   In 1928 Nobles Homestore acquired an Allen County Public Library Depository. As the picture shows it was squeezed into a corner. If you wished to sit, you sat as my Dad, Edgar B. . . Read More

The building pictured below was located at McArthur Drive and Ideal Avenue. It was built by Forest May and plastered by Ruhl Buskirk. Forest was our neighbor from across the street and as you may guess, they were paid in ‘trade’. . . Read More

In 1919 my father, Edgar B. Noble Sr., bought 5 acres at the southwest corner of Indianapolis Road (then State Road 1, now McArthur Drive) and Lewisburg Road (now Ideal Avenue). . . Read More

The way of life in the 1910s and 1920s found people who were very energetic, busy, and happy, with a very simple lifestyle. The hardships of doing with less of most everything, taught us an appreciation of things, which are now taken for granted i.e., . . . Read More

In the early 1870’s the railroad spur at the Lower Huntington Road intersection ignited the adventuresome spirit of our early settlers who wanted to be country dwellers. Pioneer landowners such as the Masons, Bradburys, and Weavers were most . . . Read More

The first trading in this area was the French hunter befriending the Indians for the fur business. The region was abounding with deer, wild turkey, bobcat, wolf, rattlesnake, beaver, otter, pheasant, squirrel, and raccoon. . . Read More

In the last issue of The Waynedale News, while researching Ed Noble’s history column, I speculated there might have been a grist mill where Rogers Formal Wear & Tubby’s Ribs now sit at Broadway and Bluffton Roads. . . Read More

The Growth of Waynedale Transportation   Pioneers with their families pushed westward with all of their possessions led by trusty horses or, like the ancestors of Mrs. Violet Fairfield Meyers, came west via oxen pulling a Conestoga wagon capable of . . . Read More

FIRST MILLIONAIRE IN WAYNEDALE   Waynedale’s first millionaire was Miami Indian Chief Jean (John) Baptiste De Richardville. Chief Richardville’s parents and ancestors were well known Indian traders. His mother, Ta-Cum-Wa was a sister of . . . Read More

Barb Noble dropped her husband, Ed off at The Waynedale News on Wednesday. Ed came in carrying a large picture of the Chamber of Commerce of Waynedale Charter Membership. The 2ft x 3ft picture frame listed 42 Chamber members from 1930. . . Read More

Larry, a former resident of Waynedale, came across this photo while going through some old albums. It was taken at a picnic at the John Clausen cottage on Lake Wawasee around 1947-49. . . Read More

The first edition of The Waynedale News came out on September 2nd, 1932. The name of the paper at that time was The Waynedale Press. Arden McCoy was the editor and the paper was a single sheet measuring 15X10 inches. . . Read More

4-H programs began in response to young people and their need for a better agricultural education. In 1902, a large percent of Americans lived on farms. Organized outside of school, parents served as volunteer leaders along with educators to instruct . . . Read More